Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Need to Know: The sound of silence from the Redskins

Here is what you need to know on this Tuesday, April 23, 2 days before the NFL draft.

Crickets

At this time three years ago, it was fairly well known that the Redskins would draft tackle Trent Williams out of Oklahoma with the fourth pick in the draft.

Two years ago, there was plenty of noise coming from the Redskins, including a rumor that they trade up from the 10^th overall spot in order to draft Blaine Gabbert. It was all smoke, of course, as the Redskins bypassed a chance to take Gabbert and traded down instead.

A year ago, there was the loud sound of cheering as the Redskins were set to draft their franchise quarterback in Robert Griffin III.

What are the sounds coming out of Redskins Park this week?

Crickets.

There haven’t been any names floated out there as rising or falling on the Redskins’ draft board. No word of any sleeper picks being tossed around. No talk of trading up or down. There aren’t even any credible lies being leaked out of Ashburn.

This could change tomorrow afternoon, when Mike Shanahan delivers his league mandated pre-draft press conference. Well, I mean the last part could change, the part about lies being disseminated. There is zero chance that Shanahan will veer into the truth at any point.

The big difference between this and previous Shanahan drafts here is that the team doesn’t have a first-round pick. This is largely uncharted water for Shanahan. Only once since 1996 has he not had a first-round pick (2005). Not much credible smoke can be spread around when 50 players wil be out of the draft pool before the Redskins draft.

Who to pick, who to avoid

In case you missed it

• 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

Days until: NFL draft 2; OTA’s start 28; Eagles @ Redskins 139

Need to Know: Redskins must make the most of early home slate

Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, April 20, 5 days before the NFL draft.

No place like home

In Mike Shanahan’s first two years in Washington, the Redskins won a total of four home games. The futility at home helped create fan unrest and some impatience with the regime of Shanahan.

But things changed last year. Shanahan traded for the rights to draft franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III and, not coincidentally, the team posted a winning record at home.

Going 5-3 at the suddenly friendly confines of FedEx Field was good but if they are going to join the ranks of the NFL elites they will need to do better.

That 5-3 home mark was the second-worst among the 12 NFL playoff teams. Of the 11 teams that went 6-2 or better at home, 10 of them made the playoffs. Only the Bengals, 4-4 at Paul Brown Stadium, made the playoffs with a worse home record than the Redskins.

If the Redskins want to improve their home record in 2013 they would be best advised to get off to a hot start. In the first half of their home slate the Redskins face three teams that posted losing records last year, the 4-12 Eagles and Lions and the 7-9 Chargers. The Bears did go 10-6 but that so impressed the team management that they fired the head coach. The Eagles and Chargers also will have rookie head coaches at the helm.

The meat of the home schedule—or the meat grinder part—comes from the Monday after Thanksgiving on. In a six-day span they face the NFC champion 49ers and the Giants. After that they get a third consecutive home game with the Chiefs coming to town on Dec. 8. That could be a breather but we don’t know how Andy Reid will have his boys playing at that point. Then they finish up with the Cowboys on Dec. 22. The Redskins did go 2-0 at home against those two NFC East rivals last year but they were severely tested in both games.

The obvious formula here would be to sweep the September and October games and split the tough slate later in the year to build a 6-2 home mark. Of course, this is all on paper now and some of the games that look easy now will be far more difficult when they are actually played and vice versa. But looking at it right now, the Redskins need to make hay before the weather turns cold.

Draft for need or best available?

In case you missed it

• Morgan feeling more confident every day
• CSN Draft Board: Inside LB
• Six pack of schedule observations
• More weapons for RG3?

Days until: NFL draft 5; OTA’s 30; Redskins @ Cowboys 176

Need to Know: Prime time possibilities

Here is what you need to know on this Thursday, April 18, 7 days before the NFL draft.

Prime time possibilities

When the NFL schedule came out a year ago, the Redskins got a schedule befitting a team that finished with a double-digit loss total for the third straight season. They had just one prime time game, a Monday night when they hosted the Giants, and one nationally televised game on Thanksgiving in Dallas. It would thought that this rookie QB, Robert Griffin III, could be pretty good one day but it would take a year or two for him to be a major TV draw.

The schedule will come out tonight and the NFC East champion Redskins will almost certainly get more than one shot under the lights. Who will they play in prime time? Here are games that seem to be logical choices.

Any division game—It’s easy to see any of the Redskins’ six division games ending up in prime time. The Eagles, with new coach Chip Kelly, are a more likely opponent for a less glamorous Thursday night game than for the big Sunday game. The Cowboys and Giants games are logical candidates to appear in any time slot after dark.

@ Broncos—The return of Mike Shanahan to Denver alone would be big enough to warrant the spotlight. Add in current superstar QB Peyton Manning vs. future superstar RG3 and you have a natural.

49ers—Colin Kaepernick vs. RG3, anyone? If the network suits have good reason to believe that Griffin will be ready by week 1, this could be the Sunday night opener.

@ Falcons—The Redskins are where the Falcons were a few years ago, coming off of a successful regular season followed by a disappointing playoff exit at home. And, oh yeah, Matty Ice vs. RG3.

@ Packers—As with the Niners and Falcons, a matchup against another 2012 division winner with an attractive quarterback matchup could make for good prime time viewing.

Bears—Like the Redskins, the Bears were 10-6 last year but Chicago failed to make the playoffs. This will be the second time that Shanahan will face Jay Cutler, the quarterback he traded up to draft to try to bring to Broncos back to prominence. As it turned out, Shanahan got fired and Cutler got traded. This has the feel of a Thursday night matchup.

A team can be scheduled for a maximum of five prime time games, four on Sunday or Monday night and one on Thursday. The overall maximum is six, so a team scheduled for five can have one flexed to Sunday night after Week 10.

The guess here is that the Redskins will get scheduled for four games under the lights. We’ll go with two division games, the Broncos, and one of the others on the list with the Bears being the favorite.

RG3 talks about the blame game

In case you missed it

• RG3 confirms progress, avoids assigning blame
• And the Redskins’ pick is . . .
• Redskins release preseason schedule
• CSN draft board—running back
• Will the Redskins draft a tight end?
• Safety could be a tough hole to fill

Days until: NFL draft 7; Rookie minicamp 16; OTA's 33

Need to Know: Safety could be a tough need to fill

Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, April 17, 8 days before the NFL draft.

Safeties tough to find

Everybody knows that the Redskins need a safety, perhaps two, in the draft.

But so do the Cowboys, who cut starter Gerald Sensabaugh. The Giants lost Kenny Phillips to free agency. Philly signed Phillips and New England’s Patrick Chung but neither is necessarily a long-term solution.

The need goes well beyond the NFC East. Around the league 13 starting safeties were cut. Seven more changed teams as free agents, leaving holes behind.

Safeties are in short supply in part because a lot of them who used to be effective in the box stuffing the run are no longer wanted by most teams. It’s a passing league and they are looking for versatility, a player who can cover a 6-4 tight end on one play and a slot receiver the next.

Also, as Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News notes, safeties are breaking down. They are expected to hit like linebackers but they are built more like cornerbacks.

The Redskins, who are operating without a first-round draft pick, are fortunate that there is a deep pool of safeties in this year’s draft. However it could get shallow in a hurry. Fifty picks will have been made by the time the Redskins send a name to the podium. The Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants all will have picked twice.

If, say, the top five or six safeties are off the board by the time pick 51 rolls around do the Redskins take the best safety left? Take another position and look to get a safety in rounds three or four? Or, if they see a run on the position developing, do they sacrifice one of their lower picks and move up?

 The pool of potential starting safeties in the draft may never be bigger. If the Redskins are going to solve their longstanding issues at the position, this may be the year to do it.

Pat Summerall dies

Pat Summerall was a Giant for most of his playing career and he lived near Dallas but his voice was still iconic to Redskins fans who were there for the glory days of the 1980’s.

Here are Summerall’s calls of two memorable moments at NFC championship games at RFK Stadium. They need no introduction:

 

In case you missed it

• CSN mock draft, part 2
• CSN Washington draft board; quarterback
• The cost of moving up, payoff for moving down
• Workouts pay off for some

Days until: NFL draft 8; Training camp 99; NFL kickoff Sunday 144

Need to Know: Workouts pay off for some

Here is what you need to know on this Tuesday, April 16, 9 days before the NFL draft.

Some really look forward to workouts

On Sunday night, Brian Orakpo enthusiastically tweeted that he was looking forward to the start of team workouts on Monday.

Can't wait to see the Squad back together and start grindin tomorrow #HTTR

— Brian Orakpo (@rak98) April 14, 2013

Certainly we should expect Rak to be fired up to get back with his teammates after he missed almost all of their 2012 NFC East championship season with a torn pectoral muscle. But Orakpo has some additional reasons to be happy about the start of iron pumping and wind sprint season. He has 884,000 of them, in fact.

According to sources, Orkapo’s contract calls for him to earn an $884,000 workout bonus this year. Usually such clauses call for the player to participate in a certain percentage of scheduled workouts. The number varies but it is usually about 75 to 80 percent.

Orakpo is not the only one slated to earn a workout bonus. Here are the Redskins who will find a little something extra (or a lot) if they attend the required number of offseason workouts.

Player	Workout Bonus
Brian Orakpo	$884,000
Kory Lichtensteiger	$250,000
Josh Morgan	$200,000
Pierre Garcon	$150,000
Barry Cofield	$150,000
Stephen Bowen	$100,000
Josh Wilson	$100,000
Chris Chester	$100,000
Santana Moss	$100,000
Reed Doughty	$100,000
Jarvis Jenkins	$100,000
Logan Paulsen	$100,000
Will Montgomery	$50,000
Adam Carriker	$50,000
Brandon Meriweather	$50,000
Leonard Hankerson	$25,000
Josh LeRibeus	$10,000

Since the workout bonuses are considered to be likely to be earned, they are already included in the 2013 cap number so nothing will be added to the Redskins’ total for this season if the players earn their bonuses. If, for some reason, a player decides he has something better to do and doesn’t earn the bonus the amount would be credited to the 2014 cap.

When will RG3 be back?

In case you missed it

• CSN mock draft, part 1
• CSN Washington draft board; defensive line
• Reviewing the mock drafts
• First steps toward 2013 season

Days until: NFL draft 9; Rookie minicamp 17; OTA’s start 34

Tandler on Twitter

So Revis is cleared to run 7 mo. after ACL. #RG3 reportedly running 4+ mo. after. Yet both are "ahead of schedule". Don't get it.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 15, 2013

Need to Know: First steps toward 2013 season today

Here is what you need to know on this Monday, April 15, 10 days before the NFL draft.

First steps come today

Today we have the first baby steps toward the start of the 2013 season, which is 146 days away.

The offseason workout program starts at Redskins Park today. The CBA limits the activities to conditioning and nothing really resembling football can take place until OTA’s start next month. In fact, for the most part, footballs can’t even be used.

For the first two weeks of the program, “activities shall be limited to strength and conditioning and physical rehabilitation only,” per the CBA. To make sure that only conditioning takes place, only strength and conditioning coaches are allowed to be on the field. Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan, Jim Haslett, and the rest can’t even observe from the field.

To further ensure that no football activities take place, no footballs are allowed, with one exception. Quarterbacks can throw to uncovered receivers.

After the first two weeks the coaches can take field, individual instruction and drill can take place and plays involving the entire offense or defense can be run against air. Helmets can’t be worn during this phase. The helmets will go on when OTA’s start on May 20.

All of the offseason activities are voluntary for all players with the exception of the minicamp June 10-13. The Redskins typically have a very high participation rate Shanahan strongly encourages attendance.

Some players took to Twitter to say that they're excited about getting things going.

Can't wait to see the Squad back together and start grindin tomorrow #HTTR

— Brian Orakpo (@rak98) April 14, 2013

I truly am excited to see my teammates/family tomorrow

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 15, 2013

Ready to see my bros/family tomorrow our journey for greatness starts tomorrow morning 8am #HTTR #hailyeah #Redskins

— Chris Baker (@cbaker92redskin) April 15, 2013

Tarik looks at players returning from injury

In case you missed it

• Will the Redskins draft a QB?
• Enemy Intel: Packers
• The week that was: Schedule release, links to all of last week’s posts

Days until: NFL draft 10; OTA’s start 35; Training camp 101

Tandler on Twitter

Sure. WR or even TE would not shock me. RT @jimmydolanmsg: Do u see skins drafting other position than cb/safety at 51?

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 13, 2013

Need to Know: Will CB upgrades now wait until the draft?

Here is what you need to know on this Friday, April 12, 13 days before the NFL draft.

What’s the Plan B at CB?

Since it appears likely that Antoine Winfield has narrowed his choices to a list of teams that does not include the Washington Redskins, where do the Redskins go in search of secondary help?

It does not look like the Redskins had a Plan B in mind when they were pursuing Winfield. You can look at Rotoworld’s best available cornerbacks here but I can tell you now it’s pretty slim pickings assuming that Winfield is off the market. Of the top 25 who were on the market at some point, only two, Quentin Jammer and Sheldon Brown, are still available. Of the top 40, only those two, Rahean Mathis, and Jacoby Lacy are still out there.

It’s also possible that their Plan B was DeAngelo Hall. They signed him several days after Winfield left Ashburn without signing a contract. Perhaps they realized after Winfield’s visit that the price tag was going to be too high in their cap-penalized environment.

Since it doesn’t appear that any of the remaining options are an upgrade over the current group of Hall, Josh Wilson, E. J. Biggers, Richard Crawford and, if he’s healthy, Chase Minnifield, they may just stand pat until the draft. If they get someone who they think can contribute in 2013 in the draft, they might go with who they have. If not, they may reexamine the veteran options.

Occasionally teams will release veterans after the draft if they feel they have filled the need with a rookie. That may lend a little more depth to the pool if the Redskins decide they want to swim in it.

Redskins video chat with Tarik, Tandler, Tinsman

In case you missed it

• Garcon thinks offense can be special
• Will the Redskins draft an O-lineman?
• Garcon improving but not 100 percent yet
• Chris Baker will be the 15^th highest-paid Redskin
• RG3 goes Hollywood

Days until: NFL draft 13; Rookie minicamp 21; Training camp 105

Tandler on Twitter

@bheathrg3 I can see Bernstine as a role player. He should be good for training camp but that was a pretty bad knee injury in New Orleans.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 11, 2013

Need to Know: Baker will be 15th-highest paid Redskin

Here is what you need to know on this Thursday, April 11, 14 days before the NFL draft.

Baker signs tender, will be pressured to produce

The Redskins announced that defensive lineman Chris Baker had signed his restricted free agent tender via tweeting a picture of the signing.

#Redskins DL @cbaker92redskin cracks a smile as he signs his RFA tender this afternoon at @redskins Park! twitter.com/Redskins/statu…

— Redskins (@Redskins) April 10, 2013

This is one signing that did not make a whole lot of sense to me. The RFA tender pays him $1.323 million, all of it charged to the 2013 cap. Baker is a pretty good backup and a great locker room guy.

But that $1.323 million salary makes him the 15^th highest paid player on the team in terms of base salary. Obviously, that’s more than some starters make. It’s almost half a million dollars more than Kedric Golston, an eight-year veteran who is signed for a salary of $840,000, the minimum for a veteran with his experience, is making. It’s more than Rob Jackson, who also was a restricted free agent and who was a key reserve last year, is making.

And this may be an unfair comparison because of the length of service but second-year running back Alred Morris will make $480,000 this year. Baker, who has played in 16 games in his career just like Morris, will make 175 percent more, 

It’s not as though the Redskins would be devoid of depth at nose tackle. Chris Neild, who was the backup nose tackle in 2011, is on the books for a $555,000 salary this year. In 2012 Neild and Baker were battling to back up Barry Cofield and it looked like Baker had the upper hand. The competition ended when Neild tore his ACL during training camp practice. Baker may be better than Neild, but is he $800K better?

And if the Redskins believe that Baker is good enough to warrant substantially more money than some others on the team, why didn’t they get him signed for longer than one year? He will be an unrestricted free agent next year. Other RFA’s like Darrel Young and Logan Paulsen signed multi-year deals that cost less against the cap this year than does Baker’s tender.

Paulsen and Young do have some guaranteed money in their deals while Baker does not. Baker’s salary is not guaranteed even though he signed his tender. So he is under the gun to have a great offseason, training camp, and preseason. The big salary number will have “Swaggy” under the microscope all year long.

Tandler on getting talent signed on a tight cap

In case you missed it

• How will the Redskins pay their draft picks?
• Chris Baker signs his tender
• PFT calls the Redskins “an elite organization”
• Enemy Intel: Vikings

Days until: Offseason program starts 4; NFL draft 14; OTA’s start 39

Tandler on Twitter

Hard to say until we see contract. RT @skins_100: do you think Winfield is leaning toward Seattle over us because money or Super Bowl odds?

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 11, 2013

Need to Know: Still a chance to get Winfield?

Here is what you need to know on this Monday, April 8, 17 days before the NFL draft.

Winfield to visit Seahawks

Free agent cornerback Antoine Winfield is slated to visit the Seahawks this week so it appears that he will not, as many thought, choose between the Redskins and his former team, the Vikings, for his 2013 team.

This could be taken as a bad sign for those hoping that the Redskins would be able to land the former Pro Bowler. From a sheer financial standpoint, the Redskins have a hard time competing financially in a two-way bidding war. If three teams are competing for his services, the Redskins, who have just under $670,000 in cap room, would have to be the decided underdogs. The Vikings have about $4.4 million in cap space while the Seahawks are sitting on just under $9 million.

Money is not necessarily everything to Winfield, however. He has let it be known that he wants to play for a contender. The Vikings, Seahawks, and Redskins all made the playoffs last year so they all meet the minimum qualifications. However, the Seahawks appear to have helped themselves this offseason with the acquisition of receiver Percy Harvin and a few other free agent moves while the Vikings lost Harvin and the Redskins have been doing all they can do to retain their own players.

Logic would tell you that the Seahawks have the upper hand. But it doesn’t always work that way. Perhaps Seattle’s interest is less than intense and the visit is like that of Fred Davis to Buffalo, designed just to spur other parties into action. As noted here a couple of days ago, until Winfield signs on the line someplace else, there is still a chance he will end up with the Redskins.

What about Royster?

@rich_tandlercsn Rich, Royster had big carry in tying drive against Ravens, is he odd man out in 2013 Skins running backs?

— Sam Wilkinson(@Sam_Wilkinson5) April 7, 2013

At this point, I don’t see Royster being the odd man out at all. He will still spell Alfred Morris from time to time. If Roy Helu Jr. is healthy, he might cut in to some of the 248 snaps that Royster played last year. But there also might be more of an inclination to rest Alfred Morris.

In any case, even if Helu is healthy there is a role for Royster. That is not to say that there won’t be some competition for that role coming from the draft or from Keiland Williams, who did not take an offensive snap last year after being claimed on waivers in midseason. But there will be a job for someone like Evan Royster and he will have the upper hand at claiming it.

In case you missed it

• Kory Lichtensteiger is 100 percent after dealing with injuries
• Enemy Intel: Chiefs
• The Week That Was: Will Swearinger be there for the Redskins at 51

 Days until: NFL schedule release 8; NFL draft 17; Training camp 108

Tandler on Twitter

@chring13 Not likely, I'd say 10% trading up, want to keep all the picks, and 25% trading back.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 7, 2013

Need to Know: When is more secondary help coming?

Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, April 6, 19 days before the NFL draft.

Are the Redskins done in the secondary?

The Redskins’ secondary was clearly the sore spot in the defense last year as the team ranked 30^th in passing yards allowed. Since the end of the season, they have added cornerback E. J. Biggers and they have released and brought back DeAngelo Hall.

So far, one could be forgiven for looking at that and saying that they have only rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic and they really haven’t done much of that. Biggers could be a decent corner but he didn’t to anything in 12 starts in Tampa Bay last year to draw anything more than the Redskins’ one-year deal. Hall was on the street for three weeks before returning, also with a one-year contract.

Even though the pass rush should be better thanks to the returns of Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker, the personnel moves hardly seem to be enough to elevate the Redskins into a top-flight defense, or even into on that is north of mediocre. They still need capable players to plug the holes in the defense and provide depth.

The draft, of course, is one possibility. It would be shocking if the Redskins didn’t take defensive backs early and perhaps often. But what about before and after that?

As long as ex-Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield is unsigned the possibility exists that the Redskins could bring him in. Indications are that when he visited last week he was impressed with the organization but not so impressed by their financial offer. The differences in money will likely prove to be a bridge too far but, again, as long as Winfield is not wearing another team’s uniform there is a chance that he will end up in Washington.

There are some other free agents out there but at this point, three weeks before the draft, the Redskins may decide to wait and see who they select and then see what they need. There frequently is a pickup in free agent activity in the days after the draft as teams look to fill their last remaining holes prior to getting OTA’s started.

There is also the possibility of doing something after OTA’s. In his first season here, Mike Shanahan tried out a few possibilities at right tackle. He didn’t like what he saw so after minicamp he pulled the trigger on a trade with the Saints for Jammal Brown. The Redskins’ salary cap situation would make it hard to execute a trade but it can’t be ruled out. Also, a signing, trade, or waiver pickup during training camp is always a possibility.

So, the Redskins may not be done building their 2013 defensive backfield until the start of the regular season. Just sit back and watch.

Tarik chats Redskins

In case you missed it

• Helu recovering from surgery, hopes to be ready for OTA’s
• Point-Counterpoint: Draft for need or best available?
• Why did the Redskins bring back Rex?

 Days until: NFL schedule release 10; NFL draft 19; Minicamp 66

Tandler on Twitter

Looks like it would be inaccurate to say #Redskins "signed" ex-Baylor RB Ike Williams. Looks like a rookie minicamp tryout invite.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 5, 2013

Rookie camp tryout invitees do occasionally make the team. Brandon Banks was one. But, obviously, a longshot.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 5, 2013