Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Orakpo on Pro Bowl: ' I ' ll take it '

Although the NFL will not officially announce replacement Pro Bowl players until after next weekend's conference championship games, it seems clear that Brian Orakpo is assured of a spot. He will replace either Clay Matthews of the Packers or Lance Briggs of the Bears since one of them will be playing in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, precluding an appearance in Hawaii on Jan. 30. Orakpo spoke with John Keim of the Washington Examiner about getting in. He didn't seem to be at all put off by getting in through the back door. “I’ll take it,” Orakpo said. “I would love to have made it the first time around, but I’m two for two right now in the NFL and it can only get better." Hit this link to read the rest of John's story on Orakpo. A Bears victory on Sunday would also put London Fletcher in the Pro Bowl. Chicago's Brian Urlacher is one of the inside linebackers on the team so Fletcher, who moved up from second alternate to first alternate after the 49ers Patrick Willis dropped out after surgery.

NFL and NFLPA need to shut up and talk

This week, NFL team player representatives and alternates will meet in Washington for orientation for new reps. After taking care of some other business the players will head up to Capitol Hill to meet with our elected representatives. They will lobby to convince Senators and members of the House that they are on the right side of their labor dispute and that the issue is worth of the attention of a Congress that has a very full plate dealing with deficits, health care, unemployment, and a myriad of other issues. Meanwhile, on Tuesday some NFL owners will meet in Atlanta for their monthly powwow to craft their strategy as we sit 56 days before the labor contract between the league and the NFL Players Association is schedule to expire. What is wrong with this picture? The last time that the owners and the NFLPA sat down for a negotiating session was on Nov. 22, almost two months ago. With the clock ticking towards a lockout, we have one group meeting in Atlanta and another one meeting in Washington. How about meeting each other halfway, folks, and getting together in, say, Charlotte? Instead of negotiating face to face, the two sides are involved in a war of words through the media and, at least when it comes to the NFLPA, lawmakers. Get a load of this exchange, typical of what passes for learned discourse in this situation, between Bob Batterman, one of the league’s hired legal guns, and George Atallah, the union’s primary spokesman. Batterman, who sold his legal talents to the National Hockey League owners in 2004-2005, the years that the labor dispute ended up cancelling the entire NHL season, tried to make the case that the players want a lockout so that they can litigate a settlement. "This is not a union eager to avoid a lockout. This is a union waiting for a lockout to occur,” Batterman said. Atallah, who represents an organization that has failed disastrously in two previous player work stoppages, said that Batterman’s remarks "come from the person that effectuated a year-long lockout for the NHL. These comments are irrelevant to the process. The owners will either let the players play or give us a good reason why they can't." Atallah hit home only with the middle part of his comment, the part about the comments being irrelevant to the process. So are the “Lockout Central” page on the NFLPA website and the league’s NFL labor site. So is Jerry Jones saying on 60 Minutes that he did not think that a lockout would be a disaster for the sport. So was the heated rhetoric that came from the player in response. It’s all irrelevant. The only thing that is relevant is actual face to face negotiations to figure out how to split up billions of dollars. And those aren’t happening. I’m sure I speak for most fans when I say that this PR war of words simply isn’t working. It’s only deepening the disgust that is developing for both sides in the dispute. In a recent NFLPA conference call with the media, another favorite tool to try to conduct negotiations through the press, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita said, "There are so many things now — with player health and safety, and the future of us and our families — that aren't even being considered. And for us, it's disappointing. It feels like a slap in the face." Well, guess what Scott—maybe if the union sat down and talked to the negotiators face to face, maybe they could address such issues. Until then, it is the fans who are being slapped the face with the tactics of both sides, which more closely resemble taunts is a sandbox full of second graders than constructive discourse that might actually get this thing settled. In others words, shut up and negotiate.

Orakpo to the Pro Bowl?

DeAngelo Hall will have company for his trip to the Pro Bowl. It appears that Brian Orakpo will be joining him in Hawaii. The Pro Bowl outside linebackers for the NFC are Clay Matthews of the Packers, DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys, and Lance Briggs of the Bears. But after the playoff results of the weekend, either Matthews or Briggs won't be able to play in the game. That's because it is again on the Sunday in between the conference title games and the Super Bowl, so the participants in the Super Bowl won't play. According to the Redskins' PR press release, Orakpo was named a first alternate for a Pro Bowl spot. Since a spot will be vacant, Orkapo should get the call. Per the Redskins' coaches film grades, Orakpo had 8.5 sacks and 47 quarterback hurries in 2010. He made the Pro Bowl in 2009 as a rookie. Update: I contacted Redskins PR via email and they will check with the league to see what Orakpo's status is.

AFC games get top billing in second round

Give me your playoff picks in the comment section below! All of the sizzle this weekend is in the AFC. The Packers and Falcons will be interesting. Two good quarterbacks will face two stout defenses in Atlanta. The Falcons have the home field but the Packers are hot. That is definitely must-see TV at  8:00 on Saturday night. And the Seahawks visiting Chicago has some potential to be interesting. You have to like Matt Hasselbeck's playoff experience. Watching Jay Cutler can be like watching a drunk walking through traffic on a busy street--you never know when disaster is going to happen. But, unfortunately, it looks like the weather is not going to cooperate. The forecast calls for cloudy skies, a high of 22 degrees, and light winds. There will be none of the lake effect snow or howling winds that had the potential to add a great deal of entertainment value to a pedestrian matchup. But the AFC is a different story. We have the Jets players and head coach taking verbal shots at Tom Brady. Terrell Suggs of the Ravens gave Pittsburgh a middle-finger salute via a T-shirt. Two pairs of division rivals who just plain don't like each other. Those games, Ravens vs. Steelers at 4:30 on Saturday and Jets-Patriots at 4:30 on Sunday, are the marquee matchups of the weekend. My picks last week were anything but likable as I went 1-3 in the Wild Card round. But if being wrong stopped me, I would have quit making game prediction years ago. Here we go with my picks for this weekend's game. Ravens 20, Steelers 17--There is potential for snow in Pittsburgh which will make this grudge match even more fun to watch. The teams split two close games this season, each winning on the others' home field. Jim Harbaugh and Joe Flacco have been road warriors in the playoffs, going 4-2 in the playoffs over the past three seasons with all of the games being on the road. While it's tough to run on the Steelers, I think that the Ravens will maintain enough of a running threat to move the ball and pull off the upset. Packers 17, Falcons 10--This upset is being picked so often that it has become chalk. I like the Packers defense to come up big again and for Green Bay to get an early lead to quiet the crowd. I'm a big Matt Ryan fan but it's Aaron Rodgers' time. Bears 14, Seahawks 10--The Bears are a flawed team but the Seahawks had a losing record in one of the weakest divisions in the history of the NFL. Kudos to Seattle for gaining some respect last week by beating the Saints but that was the end of the line. Patriots 31, Jets 10--It will be a little closer than the 45-3 pasting that New England delivered to the Jets five weeks ago, but, in reality, not much more competitive. A battle of wits between Bill Belichick and Rex Ryan is a total mismatch as is Brady vs. Mark Sanchez. (Note to Jets: When Reggie Jackson and Joe Namath think you should tone down the trash talking

At least Dan Snyder hasn ' t tried to pull this

. . .or has he? Join me for a live chat during the Eagles-Packers game on Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:30, we’ll get going at around 4:00. We can talk about the game, try to figure out how the Redskins beat both of the teams involved, go over the draft and free agency, and anything else you want to chat about.

Redskins Futures: New Year ' s weekend bowls

Last week, I posted an article on some potentially draft-eligible players who might be on the Washington Redskins’ radar who would be performing in bowls over the course of New Year’s weekend. I haven’t had a chance to go back and review the performances of all of the players on the list but here are a few things that caught my eye regarding those players and a few others over the course of the long weekend. Mike Pouncey, G, Florida—Playing center this year, the projected pro guard displayed the mobility against Penn State in the Outback Bowl that would make him a perfect fit in the Redskins’ zone blocking scheme. On an end around play to the left, Pouncey quickly got downfield and threw a textbook block to eliminate the last man standing between the ball carrier and the goal line. Later in the game he pulled from left to right and made another key block on a long Gator run. On the negative side, he made a bad shotgun snap that resulted in a 19-yard loss.

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Join me for a live chat during the Eagles-Packers game on Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:30, we'll get going at around 4:00. We can talk about the game, try to figure out how the Redskins beat both of the teams involved, go over the draft and free agency, and anything else you want to chat about.

Player evals: Offense

After the Washington Redskins regular season ended on Sunday, the players scattered to their offseason homes, and fans got into their usual January mode of contemplating next year. The coaches, however, barely took a breather before returning to work. “What we do for the next few days, is coaches go back, write up their position players, and they will put them in a pecking order; strengths, weaknesses, starters, backups, ascending player, descending player,” Mike Shanahan said. We think that we can give the coaches a few days off. Today and on Monday we will go through the Redskins’ roster and put players into the proper spot on the matrix of ascending/descending and starter/backup. Today, we’ll take a look at the offense.

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Join me for a live chat during the Eagles-Packers game on Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:30, we'll get going at around 4:00. We can talk about the game, try to figure out how the Redskins beat both of the teams involved, go over the draft and free agency, and anything else you want to chat about.

Five years ago: Offense a no-show but Skins win

The only playoff win of the Joe Gibbs II era came five years ago today in Tampa. It has to be one of the least-celebrated of the Redskins' playoff wins because of the utter offensive futility they displayed during the game (their 120 yards of total offense was the fewest ever for a winning team in the playoffs). Still, a playoff win is a playoff win so it's worth taking a look back. From the pages of The Redskins Chronicle:

Redskins 17, Buccaneers 10 NFC Wild Card Playoff Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida Saturday, January 7, 2006

The Redskins turned two takeaways into two first-quarter touchdowns and their defense—and some good fortune—made those scores stand up as Washington beat Tampa Bay 17-10. It was the Redskins’ first playoff game since 1999. It was a good thing that the defense was able to set up a score. Washington struggled offensively, gaining a net of just 120 yards. No team in NFL history has won a postseason game while gaining so few yards. A LaVar Arrington interception set up the first score. A crucial assist goes to defensive tackle Joe Salave’a, who tipped Chris Simms’ first pass of the day into the air. Arrington came down with it and sprinted to the Bucs’ six-yard line. Clinton Portis took it in on the next play and John Hall’s conversion made it 7-0. The Redskins doubled their lead on the Buccaneers’ next possession. Tampa Bay was on the move with a first down at the Washington 34. Carnell Williams took a handoff and started up the middle. Marcus Washington stripped away the ball and grabbed it while on the ground. As no Buccaneer had touched him, Washington got up and started to run with the ball— until it got knocked out of his hands. Sean Taylor swooped into the picture, gathered up the bouncing ball while barely breaking stride, and had nothing but green grass and white stripes between himself and the end zone. His 51-yard return put the Redskins up 14-0. It was a defensive struggle throughout. After the Bucs drove to a field goal late in the first quarter, the Redskins responded with their only sustained scoring march of the game. They moved 40 yards in 10 plays to get into position for Hall to kick a 47-yard field goal and reestablish their two-touchdown lead. After that the Redskins had eight more possessions. They did not net more than nine yards on any one of them. They did muster a couple of first downs, but a fumble and a sack knocked them back below double-digit yardage each time. Simms heated up a bit and led a 51-yard touchdown drive, running it in himself from two yards out. The going got a bit easier for him after Shawn Springs left with a groin injury and Taylor was ejected after spitting in a player’s face. Brian Kelly’s interception of a Brunell pass gave Simms a shot at tying it up with 3:43 left to play. On third down from the Washington 35, Simms launched one for Edell Shepherd in the end zone. The receiver lunged, caught the ball and controlled it momentarily, but when he hit the ground the ball fell loose. Officials correctly ruled the pass incomplete, citing the rule that the receiver must maintain control of the pass if he hits the ground. After a replay review, the referee said the same thing. Simms’ fourth-down attempt was incomplete. Marcus Washington snuffed out Tampa Bay’s last chance with an interception in the last minute.

Dolphins leave coach twisting in the wind

The Miami Dolphins are courting Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh to become the team's new head coach. It also is well known that they have been in contact with ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher about the same job. The problem is, they have a head coach in Tony Sparano, who is 25-19 with a title in the AFC East, one of the toughest divisions in football, in three seasons with the Dolphins. But apparently Sparano doesn't have the pizazz, the glitz, or the glamor needed to compete for attention in a city where the Miami Heat reside. It appears that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is getting a free pass from the media as this goes on. I wonder if identical behavior by Dan Snyder would be greeted by such deafening silence? Or would he be blasted (and rightfully so) for leaving a coach with a winning record and a division title to his credit twisting in the wind while he held multiple meetings with his potential successor? Just asking.

2010 Redskins were what their record said they were

The results are in. The 2010 Redskins had some bad luck and misfortune during the season but they had enough good bounces and balls that hit off of the upright to say that the breaks pretty much evened out.

The Redskins were 4-5 in those games decided by three or fewer points. In fact, they could have won all but a few games that they lost and they certainly could have lost every game that they won. The “what ifs” are as good a way as any to look at the 2007 season in review. To summarize, the 6-10 Redskins lost seven games that could have been wins if some plays had gone the Redskins way. All six of their wins also hung on a razor’s edge, with a play here and a play being critical to the outcome. Looking at this, it seems fair to say that the 2010 Washington Redskins were what their record said they were. In six of their 10 losses the Redskins led, were tied, or trailed by three points or fewer at some point during the fourth quarter.

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