Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Shanahan delivers mixed message on Banks

I’ll have my prediction for the final 53 up in a little while but let me throw out something that Mike Shanahan said regarding one of the more controversial roster decision he will have to make. After the Bucs game, when he was asked if Brandon Banks’ ability as a kick returner would make it hard for the team to cut him, Shanahan said the following:

Well, I think with the ball on the 35 instead of the 30, it’s going the other way. A lot of people are having specialists because there are so many more touchbacks than there were in the past. When you punt, you always punt away from the returner. The value is there. From a couple years ago, I think the value has diminished a little bit – not to say you don’t want a great returner. When they do get their opportunity, just like we saw today, it can change the game.”

In context “going the other way” meant that most NFL teams are going away from have a specialized return man. And it appears that that is what Banks is. Yes, he did catch a 47-yard pass from Kirk Cousins and race for 43 on and end around. But if he was called on to do the things that wide receivers need to do if they are in a regular lineup against front-line defenders—run dig routes, go over the middle, block for the run game, and so on—it’s hard to see him doing that.

Just when you think Shanahan is saying that there is little hope for Banks he finishes his answer with the part about how a player like Banks can change a game. If he can be a game changer, how can a team that lacks players with those skills let a Brandon Banks go?

We’ll find out over the next 36 hours or so.

Shanahan has no Plan B for Davis, Williams situations

Mike Shanahan will not have a Plan B if Fred Davis and/or Trent Williams slip up and end up with a year-long suspension for another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Both Williams and Davis were suspended for the last four games of the 2011 season for violating that policy. Another violation would make them liable for another suspension, this one lasting a year. When asked yesterday if he would construct the roster with an eye towards the possibility of those suspensions, Shanahan said no.

“I trust both of them. I’d be very disappointed if they let me down or their teammates down,” he said. “I really don’t think along those lines.”

So this may throw out the conventional wisdom that, say, the Redskins are more inclined to keep Chris Cooley than the might be if Davis was not one mistake away from being gone for the year.

Of course, a team has to be prepared to deal with the loss of any player at any time so there has to be a backup plan if either Williams or Davis is out due to an injury. But it is interesting to note that Shanahan says that he will not give additional consideration to the fact that those two players have a greater chance of missing a substantial portion of the season than a player without the threat of one-year drug suspension hanging over his head. 

A look at last year's final 53

With the Redskins getting ready to cut to 75 players on Monday and down to 53 on Aug. 31, it might be instructive to look at how many players Mike Shanahan kept last year at final cuts. Here are the names and numbers from opening 2011 roster:

Offense (25)

WR (7) Moss, Gaffney, Armstrong Hankerson, Stallworth, Austin, Paul
OL (8) Williams, Lichtensteiger, Montgomery, Chester, Brown, Locklear, Cook, Smith
TE (4) Cooley, Davis, Paulsen, Sellers
RB (4) Young, Hightower, Helu, Torain
QB (2) Grossman, Beck

Defense (24)

DL (6) Carriker, Cofield, Bowen, Scott, Neild, Golston
LB (9) Kerrigan, Orakpo, Fletcher, McIntosh, Riley, Fox, Alexander, White, Jackson
CB (5) Hall, Wilson, Westbrook, Barnes, Thompson
S (4) Landry, Atogwe, Doughty, Gomes

Specialists (4)

KR Banks
K Gano
P Rocca
LS Sundberg 

They managed to keep four tight ends and seven wide receivers by going tight with eight on the offensive line and carrying two quarterbacks. One of the eight O-linemen was rookie free agent tackle Willie Smith, who they knew would not be ready to play until the latter stages of the season. The gamble did not work out too well as injuries hit along the line and they had to call up Maurice Hurt from the practice squad and sign Tyler Polumbus off of the street.

The spot for return specialist Brandon Banks came from the defense with the line on that side of the ball going tight as well.

The lesson to learn here is that there is no rigid number that needs to be kept at each position. The last few roster spots, where decision are made based on special teams, potential, or just keeping the best football players, can throw everything out of whack.

Of the final 53 last year, 41 are back to try to make it again this season. 

 

Is Banks a lock to make the roster?

The conventional wisdom floating around is that Brandon Banks made the 2012 Redskins roster on Saturday night when the fielded a punt at the nine, followed his blocking to the right, turned on the jets and rolled 91 yards for a touchdown.

A team that has struggled on offense in recent times and is starting a rookie quarterback certainly needs all of the field position advantage it can get. You can’t let go of someone like Banks, who can flip field position in a heartbeat, can you?

Mike Shanahan was asked that yesterday. At first he seemed to agree with the notion that Banks is a lock to make the 53.

“When a guy has game-breaking potential and ability, which he has shown, it is tough not to keep a guy like that,” he said.

In his next breath, however, Shanahan hit the brakes on the idea that Banks has it made.

“But we have a lot of competition and that is what you want to have,” he said. “Who else can return punts? Who else can play wide receiver? That is what you have to evaluate and sometimes you let some good football players go.”

So perhaps some other players will return some punts in the remaining two preseason games. Rookie cornerback Richard Crawford got a shot against the Bills and he acquitted himself well with three returns for an average of 14 yards. Receiver Aldrick Robinson line up to catch punts during training camp and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a few returns.

Banks did not do well when the team tried to see what he could do at receiver against the Bills. He was targeted nine times and caught just two passes for seven yards. But not all of the passes counted as Banks “targets” were really catchable and he has been playing well at receiver in practice. He should get more time there to show what he can do.

It seems that Shanahan was not bluffing in the spring when the said that Banks would have to contribute at wide receiver if he wants to be a part of the 2012 Redskins. It looks like Banks will have to show something at receiver if he wants to guarantee himself a spot on the roster.

What do you think? Does Banks have a roster spot in the bag? Should he? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.

 

Will Rex make the 53?

It seems like a lot of fans are going about predicting their 53-man rosters because I’m getting a lot of questions (most of them on Twitter @Rich_Tandler) about the job security of Rex Grossman. I have him listed as one of my 37 locks to make the roster. 

Many out there view Grossman as expendable. They say that Mike Shanahan usually goes with two quarterbacks and that since Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins are the future at the position, why not go with a “the future is now” policy?

That way the team could keep an extra running back like Alfred Morris or a fourth tight end like Logan Paulsen or one other player at another position.

It all sounds good except that it probably isn’t going to happen. Yes, Shanahan has historically gone with two QB’s on his roster but not two rookie QB’s. And even though RG3 may be the Next Big Thing in the NFL and Cousins might have exceptional football smarts it is hard to see Shanahan putting all of his eggs in a rookie quarterback basket.

All that said, there are three preseason games and about a half a dozen practices to go before final cuts. If Grossman has more games where he goes 2-10 like he did against Buffalo and Cousins builds on what he has done, the two rookie QB scenario is not completely out of the question.

Still unlikely, but not impossible.

 

The locks: 37 Redskins sure to make the roster

Earlier this week, I posted my list of players who are on the bubble when it comes to making the roster. Here are my players who I think are locks to make it.

Agree? Disagree? Hit the comments or let me know on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.

Offense (18)

C Will Montgomery
G Chris Chester
G Kory Lichtensteiger
OT Tyler Polumbus
OT Trent Williams
QB Kirk Cousins
QB Rex Grossman
QB Robert Griffin III
FB Darrell Young
RB Roy Helu Jr.
RB Tim Hightower
RB Evan Royster
TE Niles Paul
TE Fred Davis
WR Santana Moss
WR Leonard Hankerson
WR Josh Morgan
WR Pierre Garçon

Defense (17)

CB Cedric Griffin
CB DeAngelo Hall
CB Josh Wilson
S Tanard Jackson
S Brandon Meriweather
S Madieu Williams
DE Stephen Bowen
DE Adam Carriker
DE Jarvis Jenkins
DL Chris Baker*
NT Barry Cofield
LB London Fletcher
LB Perry Riley
LB Lorenzo Alexander
LB Keenan Robinson
LB Ryan Kerrigan
LB Brian Orakpo

Specialists (2)

LS Nick Sundberg
P Sav Rocca

* Baker was on the bubble list earlier this week but the season-ending injury to Chris Neild cements Baker’s spot on the roster.

 

The 53: Who will back up at inside LB?

The news that inside linebacker Jonathan Goff has been waived/injured after tearing the same ACL that he tore a year ago means that the depth chart at that position needs to be reexamined.

Here is how I had the depth chart at inside linebacker shaking out before training camp started.

Starters: London Fletcher, Perry Riley
Reserves: Lorenzo Alexander, Keenan Robinson, Jonathan Goff

Out: Donnell Holt

It seems unlikely that Holt will be able to take the opening created by Goff’s departure. The rookie free agent out of Cal will get a look but he will be doing well if he makes the practice squad.

Goff’s role was likely to be similar to the one that Keyaron Fox filled last year. Fox was a veteran who played 51 snaps on defense and a lot of special teams.

If things go according to plan, Fletcher and Riley are likely to play nearly every snap. Fletcher missed just 26 snaps all season while Riley was out for 23 defensive plays in his eight starts.

But if things don’t go according to plan, Goff, who started 20 games at middle linebacker for the Giants in 2009-2010, would have been a solid backup. Instead they are left with Alexander, who is moving over from outside linebacker, and the rookie Robinson.

Could they go outside to get experienced help? According to Adam Caplan the top available free agent at inside linebacker is ex-Colt Gary Brackett. The 32-year-old missed all but one game last year with a torn rotator cuff and at 5-11, 235 he might be a bit too small for the inside linebacker spot. But he’s an inch taller and only about 10 pounds lighter than Fletcher so maybe could fill the bill there.

Ex-Viking and Maryland Terp E. J. Henderson, who is 31 and has started 107 NFL games including 32 the past two seasons, is also on the market. He is generally considered to be a liability in coverage so he is limited to being a two-down run stuffer. That doesn’t quite fit the Redskins’ vision of a three-down inside linebacker but there aren’t many of those walking the street this time of year. His asking price was high earlier in the offseason but there are reports that it has come down.

Other options include Reggie Torbor (age 31, 28 NFL starts) and former Charger Stephen Cooper (33, 63 starts).

Another option is for the Redskins to alter their plan for Robinson. He probably was going to have what amounted to a redshirt year in 2012, playing sparingly on defense while he learned and prepared to be Fletcher’s eventual successor. They may not have that luxury now and Robinson could get forced into taking meaningful spas before he’s fully ready to do so playing the most complex position on the defense.

Despite Alexander's relative inexperience on the inside, he could step up and play a bigger role than may have been planned as well.

If they do that, they could use Goff’s roster spot for an extra safety or perhaps to keep another running back.  

 

The 53: Who benefits from Minnifield's departure?

The Redskins announced yesterday that they have released rookie free agent cornerback Chase Minnifield. His agent said that he reinjured the same knee on which he had microfracture surgery earlier this year.

It was reported last week that Minnifield had been placed on the physically unable to perform list. Other teams will have 24 hours to claim Minnifield. If, as his agent believes, he goes unclaimed he will revert to the Redskins injured reserve list.

Whether the lands with the Redskins or with another team, Minnifield is unlikely to play in 2012. A good performance in minicamp had put him in solid position to win a roster spot. Since making an NFL roster is a zero sum game one player’s misfortune can be a good break for another one.

Here is how I had things shaking out at cornerback when I did my roster prediction earlier this month:

In: DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Cedric Griffin, Richard Crawford, Chase Minnifield
Out: Kevin Barnes, Brandyn Thompson, Morgan Trent

David Jones was signed to take Minnifield’s place on the roster and he, Barnes, Thompson and Trent will vie for that roster spot. In fact, you can put Crawford into the competition mix as well since he is far from a lock to make it. So that makes five players fighting for two jobs.

So who has the edge? Trent and Jones have very similar backgrounds and resumes. They were born about three months apart in 1985 and both played for the Jaguars last season. They have similar builds; Trent is listed at 6-1, 193 and Jones is 6-0, 196. Both have been mostly part-time players for multiple teams during their NFL careers. They have proven to be “just a guy”, good enough to earn at least semi-regular NFL paychecks. It is unlikely that that either will become anything special.

Perhaps the same can be said of Barnes. He was given the slot corner position last year and he struggled. The Redskins may be prepared to move on from Vinny Cerrato’s 2009 third-round draft pick.

Crawford looked good in OTA’s and minicamp and I think he has a good shot at holding on to a job. I’m going to go with him and Thompson to take the last two spots. Thompson showed playmaking potential in the preseason last year but spent most of the year either on the practice squad or the bench. With an offseason program under his belt (there wasn’t one last year due to the lockout) he could be ready for some playing time this year.

On top of that, Crawford and Thompson are this regime's draft picks. They have shown a strong preference for keepint their guys.

Of course, all of this could change when practice starts tomorrow. Perhaps Barnes will respond to the challenge and bring up his level of play a few notches. Maybe Trent or Jones will prove to be too valuable to release.

We will see starting on Thursday.

 

The 53: Who's going to be the returner?

Over the past week we’ve gone through the Redskins’ defense position by position and I’ve given you my prediction on who will make the team and who will be joining the ranks of the nation’s unemployed when the final cuts take place on Sept. 1. Let’s take a quick look back at the defense and specialists to tie up a few loose ends.

My projected roster has six defensive linemen, 10 linebackers and nine defensive backs for a total of 25 defenders. Add in the three specialists and the 25 on offense and there are your 53 players.

Having an equal number of offensive and defensive players is the norm but it is not a rule. In summing up the offensive roster I speculated that the Redskins could choose to keep an extra running back, tight end, or offensive linemen and go with one less defensive player. That probably would be a linebacker under the scenario I have posted.

But, by the same token they could decide to go with an imbalanced roster with the numbers in favor of the defense. Is a fifth safety or a seventh lineman more valuable than a sixth wide receiver or even a third quarterback? Shanahan says that he keeps the best 53 football players and while you have to keep a certain minimum number at each position you certainly have some flexibility on the last two or three roster spots.

As noted when discussing the linebackers, it’s entirely possible that 10 is too many to have there. So perhaps a spot for a fifth safety, perhaps Reed Doughty or Jordan Bernstine, could come at the expense or Chris Wilson or Jonathan Goff.

One question that has gone unaddressed here is who will return kicks. I don’t have Brandon Banks making the team and he has returned virtually every kick for the Redskins for the past two seasons. We will write more about who will return both before camp and as the preseason unfolds but right now, the pick here is Aldrick Robinson.

He didn’t do a whole lot of returning at SMU—just five kickoff returns in four years—but ESPN’s Todd McShay had him rated as the best return prospect in the 2011 draft.

Anthony Armstrong and Jordan Bernstine are two other candidates for the job. And Banks certainly has a fighting chance of staying around.

Specialists

In (3): P Sav Rocca, LS Nick Sundberg, PK Graham Gano
Out: PK Neil Rackers

Defensive backs 

Cornerback (5): DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Cedric Griffin, Richard Crawford, Chase Minnifield
Safety (4): Brandon Meriweather, Tanard Jackson, Madieu Williams, DeJon Gomes
Out: Kevin Barnes, Brandyn Thompson, Morgan Trent, Jordan Bernstine, Travon Bellamy, Reed Doughty

Linebackers

 

In (10): Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, Rob Jackson, Markus White, Chris Wilson, London Fletcher, Perry Riley, Lorenzo Alexander, Keenan Robinson, Jonathan Goff
Out: Donnell Holt, Bryan Kehl, Brian McNally, Monte Lewis

 

Defensive line

In (6): Stephen Bowen, Jarvis Jenkins, Adam Carriker, Kedric Golston, Barry Cofield, Chris Neild
Out: Darrion Scott, Kentwan Balmer, Doug Worthington, Chris Baker, Delvin Johnson

Offense

Running backs

In (4): Roy Helu Jr., Tim Hightower, Evan Royster, Darrell Young


Out: Tristan Davis, Alfred Morris, Antwon Bailey, Lennon Creer

Tight ends

In (3): Fred Davis, Niles Paul, Chris Cooley


Out: Logan Paulsen, Richard Quinn, Beau Reliford

Wide receivers

In (6): Anthony Armstrong, Pierre Garçon, Leonard Hankerson, Josh Morgan, Santana Moss, Aldrick Robinson


Out: Brandon Banks, Terrence Austin, Darius Hanks, Brian Hernandez, Lance Lewis, Samuel Kirkland

Quarterbacks

In (3): Robert Griffin III, Rex Grossman, Kirk Cousins


Out: Jonathan Crompton

Offensive line

In (9): Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, Will Montgomery, Chris Chester, Jammal Brown, Willie Smith, Tyler Polumbus, Josh LeRibeus, Tom Compton


Out: Erik Cook, Grant Garner, Adam Gettis, Maurice Hurt, Nevin McCaskill, James Lee, Nick Martinez

Rich Tandler blogs about the Redskins at www.RealRedskins.com. You can reach him by email here and follow him on Twitter @Rich_Tandler. 

 

The 53: Rackers or Gano?

The Redskins will report to training camp on July 25. Over the next five weeks they will undergo the process of cutting their 90-man roster down to 53. Which players will get those coveted spots and which will join the ranks of the unemployed? Over the next couple of weeks we’ll go through position by position and try to predict what decisions Mike Shanahan and company will make.

So far we’ve covered the offense, the linebackers, the defensive backs and the defensive line. Today we’ll look at the specialists.

There are four specialists on the roster, the Redskins will keep three.

In: P Sav Rocca, LS Nick Sundberg, PK Graham Gano
Out: PK Neil Rackers

Breakdown

Rocca and Sundberg have no competition right now although they could bring in someone during camp should either one of them falter. That seems unlikely and they are very likely to go into the season with their jobs.

If Rackers clearly outperforms Gano in camp and in the preseason games, the job is his. If Gano is better, he gets the job. That’s obvious. But who will win if there is no clear winner?

Will Danny Smith and Mike Shanahan go with the veteran Rackers, believing that his experience will be an asset the team can lead on as the season wears on? Or will they stick with younger Gano thinking that they have gone through the labor pains for the past two years to they should get the baby?

I think that on this youth-oriented team the younger player will get the push. So since Gano wins out in two of the three possible scenarios I’ll go with picking Gano as the winner of the competition.

Defensive backs 

Cornerback: DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Cedric Griffin, Richard Crawford, Chase Minnifield
Safety: Brandon Meriweather, Tanard Jackson, Madieu Williams, DeJon Gomes
Out: Kevin Barnes, Brandyn Thompson, Morgan Trent, Jordan Bernstine, Travon Bellamy, Reed Doughty

Linebackers

 

In: Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, Rob Jackson, Markus White, Chris Wilson, London Fletcher, Perry Riley, Lorenzo Alexander, Keenan Robinson, Jonathan Goff
Out: Donnell Holt, Bryan Kehl, Brian McNally, Monte Lewis

 

Defensive line

In: Stephen Bowen, Jarvis Jenkins, Adam Carriker, Kedric Golston, Barry Cofield, Chris Neild
Out: Darrion Scott, Kentwan Balmer, Doug Worthington, Chris Baker, Delvin Johnson

Running backs

In (4): Roy Helu Jr., Tim Hightower, Evan Royster, Darrell Young


Out: Tristan Davis, Alfred Morris, Antwon Bailey, Lennon Creer

Tight ends

In (3): Fred Davis, Niles Paul, Chris Cooley


Out: Logan Paulsen, Richard Quinn, Beau Reliford

Wide receivers

In (6): Anthony Armstrong, Pierre Garçon, Leonard Hankerson, Josh Morgan, Santana Moss, Aldrick Robinson


Out: Brandon Banks, Terrence Austin, Darius Hanks, Brian Hernandez, Lance Lewis, Samuel Kirkland

Quarterbacks

In (3): Robert Griffin III, Rex Grossman, Kirk Cousins


Out: Jonathan Crompton

Offensive line

In (9): Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, Will Montgomery, Chris Chester, Jammal Brown, Willie Smith, Tyler Polumbus, Josh LeRibeus, Tom Compton


Out: Erik Cook, Grant Garner, Adam Gettis, Maurice Hurt, Nevin McCaskill, James Lee, Nick Martinez

Rich Tandler blogs about the Redskins at www.RealRedskins.com. You can reach him by email here and follow him on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.