Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Need to Know: Getting to the next level

Here is what you need to know on this Friday, May 3, 17 days before the start of OTA’s.

Redskins draft about getting to the next level

Mike Tanier is one of the best NFL analysts out there. He, like almost everyone else out there, graded each team’s draft. I thought his final take on the Redskins was particularly interesting and insightful.

Final Assessment: Proficient, bordering on Advanced. The Redskins are swinging for blue chippers, a sign that they realize that there is still building to do before they become true contenders. Past Redskins regimes would have flaked out after one divisional title.

As we have frequently noted, the Redskins bought back 21 of 22 starters from a team that won the NFC East title. The only depth player they lost that they wanted to keep was linebacker/special teams captain Lorenzo Alexander.

It’s not like they don’t have needs. After all, they were 3-6 at one point in the season and their pass defense was shaky in its better times. They have seven starters who will be free agents next year.

Still, Shanahan did not play it safe. He went for players who could be great. In David Amerson, they took the player who led the nation in interceptions in 2011. Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo were 1-2 in the country in INT’s last year. Chris Thompson and Jordan Reed can take it to the house any time they get their hands on the ball. Brandon Jenkins has the stuff to post double-digit sacks in the NFL.

There is some potential downside to some of these players as well. Jenkins and Thompson are both coming off of major injuries. Amerson has a knack for allowing more big plays than he makes. And Rambo was twice suspended for drug issues. These issues made them available later in the draft than they otherwise would have been. But it also means that there is risk involved. If, say, Rambo strays off of the straight and narrow during the season it won’t matter if he is “only” a sixth-round pick, it would be a disruption.

When you are trying to get your team up to the level where it is competitive, you are less likely to take chances like that. But when a team reaches a certain level you have to get difference makers, players who can change a game in one play. They have one of those in Robert Griffin III and giving him more targets and weapons and defenders who can put the ball into his hands more frequently will help the team move into that next tier of NFL teams.  

RG3 talks about the Ravens game

Earlier this week I wrote about the Redskins’ need to balance their roster and get the right number of players at each position. The team announced 12 undrafted free agent signings yesterday. Let’s take a look at what positions the new players play and how that helps them get enough bodies at the right spots.

Here are the new signings:

OL (4): Jacolby Ashworth, Xavier Nixon, Tevita Stevens, Kyle Wilborn

LB (3): Marvin Burdette, William Compton, Jeremy Kimbrough

WR (4): Skye Dawson, Chip Reeves, Jason Thompson, Nick Williams

TE (1): Emmanuel Ogbuehi

On offense we figured that they would be looking for one more tight end, six more wide receivers, and four more offensive linemen. They are getting pretty close to being balanced on offense.

And we thought they would bring in two more linebackers so they are close to being good there as well.

The roster churn is not yet over. After this weekend a number of tryout players could be signed and others, perhaps including some of those who just came aboard, will be released.

OTA’s start May 20.

In case you missed it

• Redskins announce 12 signings
• Draft review: Brandon Jenkins
• In-depth chart: Defense
• RG3: “I can trust these guys”

Days until: OTA’s 17, Training camp 83, Preseason opener @ Titans 97

Redskins in-depth chart: Defense

The Redskins currently have 80 signed veterans, first-year players and draft picks on their roster. Of those, 37 of the veterans and four of the draft picks play on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s take a look at the defensive depth chart and see where things stand. Yesterday we looked at the offense.

Defensive line (have 12/likely to keep 7)

Starters: Barry Cofield, Stephen Bowen
Competing: Adam Carriker, Jarvis Jenkins, Phillip Merling, Kedric Golston, Doug Worthington, Ron Brace, Chris Baker, Chris Neild
Long shots: Dominique Hamilton, Chigbo Anunoby,

Jenkins and Carriker are in competition for the starting job at left end; the others are fighting for jobs. Carriker’s participation in the competition depends on his health as he suffered a setback in his rehab and his status is unknown. They didn’t draft anyone here but they brought in a couple of relatively young veterans in Brace (26) and Merling (28). The way it looks right now you have six players, all with some degree of NFL playing experience, competing for three roster spots. Last year they took 11 DL into OTA’s

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

RG3: 'I can trust these guys'

Sometimes we hear Mike Shanahan talk about the situation surrounding the knee injury suffered by Robert Griffin III and then we hear RG3 talk about it, we wonder if they are on the same page.

You don’t even have to get into close parsing of words sometimes when Griffin is asked about the situation in the Seattle playoff game. "With what happened and how everything was running -- you take me out,” he said recently in an ESPN Magazine article. That statement was largely interpreted as a finger pointed straight at the chest of Shanahan.

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

Need to Know: Nixon missing from UDFA list

Here is what you need to know on this Thursday, May 2, one day before the start of rookie minicamp.

What about Nixon?

Yesterday the NFL posted five Redskins undrafted free agent signings on its transactions page. Go here to get some details on LB Marvin Burdette, C Tetiva Stephens, and WR’s Chip Reeves, Jason Thompson, Nick Williams, and Chip Reeves.

There are many names missing from that list who were on various lists of UDFA signees found around the Internet. Some of those lists contained 15 names or more. That simply is not credible as after the draft the Redskins had 80 players on their roster, giving them room for only 10 more. This is because there is no distinction made between players coming in to try out during this weekend’s rookie minicamp.

One name missing from the list of NFL-confirmed signings is Florida offensive tackle Xavier Nixon. It has been credibly reported that Nixon agreed to terms with the Redskins. He told the story of how the Redskins contacted him after they had used their seventh-round pick to tell him that they wanted him on the team.

"They actually called during the draft and told me they had used their last pick, and they were surprised to see me still on the board at that point and they would pick me up after the draft was over,'' Nixon said Sunday. "That pretty much made my decision right there. It's just a great opportunity to get to display my talent and show people the kind of person I can be with the team and around the community.''

It seems unlikely that Nixon is a camp tryout. It is possible that he just has not been able to sign his contract. The players report for minicamp tomorrow and it seems likely that Nixon sign on the dotted line then.

It is always possible that Nixon had a better offer and decided to take it. An agreement over the phone is meaningless until pen is put to paper. But we’ll probably see Nixon, who was a four-year starter at Florida, in Ashburn tomorrow.

RG3 talks about the Ravens game

RG3 made news yesterday with his comments about his injuries in ESPN The Magazine. Here is what the told Redskins Nation about one of those incidents a couple of weeks ago.

In case you missed it

• RG3 wouldn’t do the same thing again
• Redskins ink 5 undrafted free agents
• Redskins in-depth chart—offense
• Draft review: Bacarri Rambo
• Penn State QB McGloin in for a tryout

Days until: Rookie minicamp 1; Minicamp 40; Redskins @ Packers 136

Balancing the Redskins' roster

We’re going to take a close look at the depth charts on both offense and defense over the next couple of days. The Redskins are in the process of signing undrafted players so let’s take a quick look at where they need help and where they may have to trim back some personnel.

Go here to read the post on CSNwashington.com.

Redskins in-depth chart: Offense

The Redskins currently have 80 signed veterans, first-year players and draft picks on their roster. Let’s take a look at the depth chart and see where things stand. Today we’ll look at the offense, tomorrow the defense.

Of those, 34 of the veterans and three of the draft picks play on the offensive side of the ball. Here is the breakdown on how they stack up.

Quarterback (Have 4/likely to keep 3)

Starter: Robert Griffin III
Reserves: Kirk Cousins, Rex Grossman
Long shot: Pat White

This seems to be pretty well set in stone. Even if Griffin’s knee is 100 percent by the time he starts playing, there is always the possibility of a setback. If that happens, Mike Shanahan’s comfort level with Grossman as Cousins’ backup is too high for him to go in any other direction. They probably will add one more QB to serve as a fourth arm for training camp as Griffin is likely to be a spectator for all or part of it. Last year they went into OTA’s with 4 QB’s.

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

Need to Know: Penn State QB McGloin in for tryout

Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, May 1, 2 days before the start of rookie minicamp.

McGloin’s a scrapper

At first, former Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin would only say that the had an invitation to try out at and NFL camp but he wouldn’t say which one:

For members of the media who are asking me what rookie camp I will be in, please contact my agent for that information. Thanks.

— Matt McGloin (@McGloinQB11) April 30, 2013

But yesterday he let the cat out of the bag:

Rookie camp with the Washington Redskins Thursday.

— Matt McGloin (@McGloinQB11) April 30, 2013

In Washington the quarterback in for a rookie camp tryout is going to draw more interest than your garden-variety minicamp body. So I set out to find out something about McGloin and I ran into this post in a blog written by a Penn State alum.

In a series of interesting bullet points, he said laid out the good and bad of McGloin.

Among the good:

• He is motivated by the doubts of others.
• He does not lack in confidence
• He beat out several highly recruited quarterbacks over and over again
• He performed very well in a pro-style offense his senior year

Some of the bad:

• He’s short
• His arm is not a Division-IA (okay FBS) arm
• He has a temper and missed a bowl game after getting knocked out in a fight with a teammate during the worst month in his university’s history

Teams usually like to have four quarterbacks for OTA’s and training camp and with Robert Griffin III on the sideline for at least the spring there may be an opportunity for a QB like McGloin to stick around for the summer.

Shanahan talks about the draft

In case you missed it

• Balancing the Redskins’ roster
• Draft review: Jawan Jamison
• RG3 talks about trashing the Cowboys
• Oddsmakers don’t like Redskins

Days until: Rookie minicamp 2; Training camp 85; Redskins @ Cowboys 165

Tandler on Twitter

So Duck Dynasty beat #NFLDraft in ratings. So next year, long hair, beards, and bandanas worn on ESPN set and analysis by Uncle Si.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 30, 2013

Need to Know: Redskins still Super Bowl long shots

Here is what you need to know on this Tuesday, April 30, 20 days before the start of OTA’s.

Redskins still a Super Bowl long shot

According to the oddsmakers with www.Bovoda.lv a dozen NFL teams have a better chance at hoisting a frozen Lombardi Trophy in Met Life Stadium in New Jersey next February than do your Washington Redskins.

Their post draft odds came out today and the Redskins chances are set at 28/1. Six other NFC teams have better odds. It’s easy to figure out why some, like the 49ers (6/1), Seahawks (9/1), and Packers (12/1) are thought to be more likely Super Bowl winners. It’s a bit of a head scratcher to try to figure out why the Saints (18/1), Giants (20/1) have better odds and the Cowboys (28/1) have the same chance.

Perhaps the bookies are skeptical of Robert Griffin III's rate of recovery. Maybe they don't like the prospects for David Amerson contributing in his first year. But more likely they just have the Redskins lumped in where public perception has them. Unless and until they advance to the point where they, say, play for the conferene title, something they haven't done since 1991, they will not be among the favirotes to win it all.

Here are the odds for all 32 NFL teams (for entertainment purposes only, of course):

• San Francisco 49ers 6/1 

• Denver Broncos 15/2 

• New England Patriots 8/1 

• Seattle Seahawks 9/1 

• Atlanta Falcons 12/1 

• Green Bay Packers 12/1 

• Houston Texans 18/1 

• New Orleans Saints 18/1 

• Baltimore Ravens 20/1 

• New York Giants 20/1 

• Chicago Bears 25/1 

• Pittsburgh Steelers 25/1 

• Dallas Cowboys 28/1 

• Washington Redskins 28/1 

• Philadelphia Eagles 30/1 

• Cincinnati Bengals 35/1 

• Indianapolis Colts 35/1 

• Detroit Lions 40/1 

• Miami Dolphins 40/1 

• Minnesota Vikings 40/1 

• San Diego Chargers 40/1 

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40/1 

• Carolina Panthers 50/1 

• Kansas City Chiefs 50/1 

• St. Louis Rams 60/1 

• Cleveland Browns 75/1 

• New York Jets 75/1 

• Arizona Cardinals 100/1 

• Buffalo Bills 100/1 

• Oakland Raiders 100/1 

• Tennessee Titans 100/1 

• Jacksonville Jaguars 200/1

RG3 reassures crowd at FedEx that he’s OK

In case you missed it

• Point-Counterpoint: Draft hits and misses
• Roster has room for 10 more players
• The NFL calendar kicks into high gear

Days until: OTA’s start 20; Minicamp 42; Monday night football Giants @ Redskins 215

Tandler on Twitter

No, Tim Tebow is not a fit for the #Redskins. That is all.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 29, 2013

Need to Know: The NFL calendar gets going

Here is what you need to know on this Monday, April 29, 87 days before the start of training camp.

Calendar gets moving

It seemed like the draft took forever to get here and now that it’s in the rear view mirror the pace of the NFL offseason calendar picks up considerably here.

Rookie minicamp starts this Friday. The Redskins draft picks, undrafted free agents, and any first-year players who spent the bulk of the previous season on the inactive list, injured reserve, or the practice squad will be there. Also participating will be a number of tryout players who hope to be offered a free agency contract at the end of the minicamp.

The minicamp runs Friday through Sunday. The media is allowed in on Monday so that will give us the first chance beyond a quick conference call to talk to the draft picks.

Then OTA’s start on May 20 and we will get in there on May 23. That will be the first time we will see these players run something resembling football plays since the playoff loss to the Seahawks.

Due to the knee injury he sustained in that game, Robert Griffin III will be a spectator during OTA’s and minicamp in June.

All of this means that the regular season is getting closer. But it’s probably not as close as you’d like it to be. We are still closer to the last game of the 2012 season (107 days ago) than we are from the Monday night opener against the Eagles (133 days from today).

A look at Day 3 at the draft

In case you missed it

• Grading the Redskins draft
• Tandler’s six pack of Redskins draft observations
• A playmaker’s draft

Days until: OTA’s start 21; Training camp 87; Redskins @ Cowboys 167

Tandler on Twitter

@keithhodges311 Drafted 3 OL last year, 1 year before. All starters under contract through at least through 2014. Why draft one?

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 28, 2013

The week that was: A playmaker's draft for the Redskins

Here is what you need to know on this Sunday, April 28, 44 days before Redskins minicamp.

That was the week that was

—It was a playmaker’s draft. On the offense, Jordan Reed can create all sorts of matchup problems for a defense and if running back Chris Thompson is healthy he has the speed to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. On the other side of the ball, Phillip Thomas and David Amerson led the nation in interceptions during one of their collegiate seasons and Bacarri Rambo was second one year. Brandon Jenkins is a pass rushing linebacker who might be able to generate some sacks.

—The Redskins did roll the dice with some of the picks in the latter part of this draft. Rambo dealt with drug suspensions, Thompson, Jenkins, and Thomas have injury concerns. With the Redskins returning the bulk of the roster that won the NFC East title last year, they apparently felt they could afford to swing for the fences on a few picks at the risk of striking out.

—In most drafts there is a key player, one who is not taken early but whose performance can make a good draft into a great one or save what may have been a horrible draft. Last year’s key guy was Alfred Morris. Between him and RG3, there is almost no way the 2012 draft can be called a failure. I think “that guy” this year is also a sixth-round pick. If Rambo can develop into a starter and, along with Thomas, give the Redskins a long-term solution to a position that has been in flux for years, it would only take one of the other higher picks to come through for this to be a successful draft.

—By the time this is posted the Redskins will have signed a number of undrafted free agents, a process that will continue over the next several days. They should sign about 10 or 15 and then bring them, the draft picks, and a bunch of tryout players to Redskins Park for a rookie minicamp next weekend. Also eligible to participate in the minicamp are first-year players who spent last year on injured reserve, the practice squad or on the game day inactive list.

—The week did not start with the draft. Earlier Josh Wilson joined the club of Redskins who accepted a cut in pay with an opportunity to make some of the money back with performance bonuses. The move saved nearly $2 million off of the cap. Considering the cornerback market it was unlikely that Wilson could make his scheduled $3.9 million salary as a free agent. In this case the team had the power and they utilized it. The Redskins do have a reputation for being fair to their players and players will work with them to get through this salary cap squeeze.

In case you missed it

To give you a chance to catch up, here are links to all 40 Redskins posts from here and CSNwashington.com this week.

Sunday 04.21

• Niles Paul looks to improve at tight end
• CSN draft board: Wide receivers
• Does character still count?

Monday 04.22

• 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

Tuesday 04.23

• CSN draft board: Cornerback
• Redskins draft outlook: Offense
• The sound of silence from Redskins Park

Wednesday 04.24

• Breaking down the Redskins draft
• Redskins injury update
• Weighing risk vs. reward in the NFL draft
• RG3 won’t play at less than 100 percent
• CSN final mock draft
• CSN draft board: Safety
• Redskins draft outlook: Defense
• Could a QB on the board spur a trade down?

Thursday 04.25

• First round rewind
• Redskins don’t pick a player but have a good first round
• One year ago . . .
• Shanahan glad to have QB position solved
• Who will the Redskins pick at 51?
• A Redskins fan’s guide to the first round

Friday 04.26

• Shanahan likes Redskins' playmakers
• Redskins pick CB David Amerson in 2nd round
• Redskins pick Florida TE Reed 
• Supply & demand on Day 2
• Can the Redskins trade up for Cyprien?
• Wilson restructures contract
• Skins face age old draft day dilemma
• Need to Know: Trading for the sake of trading

Saturday 04.27

• Shanahan: “A great feeling about our draft”
• RG3 tells fans “I’ll be ready to go”
• Redskins draft pick capsules:
  • Phillip Thomas
  • Chris Thompson
  • Brandon Jenkins
  • Bacarri Rambo
  • Jawan Jamison