Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Report: Morris to start at running back for Redskins

Robert Griffin III won’t be the only rookie in the Redskins’ backfield when they take their first offensive snap at 1:00 in New Orleans.

According to Dan Hellie of NBC4, the Redskins will start sixth-round draft pick Alfred Morris at running back.

Morris, out of Florida-Atlantic, led the team in rushing during the preseason with 195 yards and he apparently clinched the starting job with a strong performance against the Colts in the third preseason game. Playing a little over a half against mostly starters, Morris displayed speed and power as he picked up 107 yards on 14 carries.

When the team reported to training camp in late July it looked like Morris faced long odds against even making the team. The Redskins returned Roy Helu Jr., their 2011 leading rusher, Evan Royster, who finished off the year strong with 100-yard performances in each of the last two games, and Tim Hightower, the lead back last year until he injured his knee in October.

But Morris played too well for the team to try to sneak him onto the practice squad. Hightower ended up being released and it looks like Morris will get the starts.

Kyle on running backs: Whoever 'is doing the best, you keep him going'

By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com 

The Redskins have been elusive about how they plan to deploy the team’s three running backs this season.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, however, might have provided a clue Thursday when he said, “Whoever you think is doing the best, you keep him going." 

And when he’s not going, you make a change presumably.

That probably is not what Evan Royster, Roy Helu Jr. and Alfred Morris wanted to hear, but it could be the reality of the Redskins’ approach this season.

“I don’t think that there’s any philosophy, there’s no set way on what you do,” Shanahan added, speaking at Redskins Park. “You put the guy in that’s going to help you win the game. And I think the three guys are all capable runners.”

Head coach Mike Shanahan has said he knows which running back will line up behind Robert Girffin III on the Redskins’ first series at the Superdome on Sunday. But he’s been coy when asked to disclose which one he plans to tap.

In the end, though, it might not matter all that much.

“It doesn’t matter to me which one is in because all three are capable,” Kyle Shanahan said. “Some do some stuff better than others. But you go with the hot hand. You want to keep him fresh so you rotate guys in. It’s not a planned rotation, but I would expect all three of them to play.”

Running back situation remains muddled

Meet Roy Helu Jr.’s new injury. It’s a lot like his old injury.

We found out last week that the second-year running back was not going to play against the Bears because of a strained Achilles. On Monday Mike Shanahan said that it is not sure if Helu will go against the Colts this Saturday because of a strained Achilles.

The other one.

“That’s not good news,” Shanahan said.

With the regular season opener coming in just under three weeks, the picture at running back for the Redskins is in disarray. It is possible that the roster will have to be juggled to accommodate the situation.

Tim Hightower, the presumed starter, is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered last October. Although Shanahan indicated that he could play against the Colts, Hightower has yet to participate fully in a practice in full pads.

With Helu hobbled, the only healthy holdover from last year’s stable of running backs is Evan Royster. He has looked good in limited action this preseason after he finished up his rookie 2011season with a couple of 100-yard games.

It is going to be difficult for the Redskins to keep four running backs when they cut the roster to the final 53 on Aug. 31. But if Helu and Hightower are questionable for the season opener on Sept. 9 they may be forced to find a way.

The beneficiary in such a scenario like would be rookie Alfred Morris. He is leading the team in rushing during the preseason and has shown an aggressive running style that has made him a fan favorite.

He is very much a rookie, however. Against the Bears he went into a pass pattern instead of staying in to block a blitzing cornerback. The ensuing chain of events resulted in Griffin fumbling the ball deep in Chicago territory.

But if Hightower and Helu remain question marks going into the New Orleans the Redskins may be forced to rely on Morris to help carry the load early in the season. That would require some juggling of roster spots such as going with eight offensive linemen instead of nine or perhaps going short somewhere on defense.

The Redskins will play their last two preseason games in a four-day span, going up against the Colts on Saturday and the Bucs the following Wednesday. We should have a better idea about the running back situation after that. 

Shanahan on Royster: 'You can't tackle him'

By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com 

Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan insists he hasn’t decided how he’s going to handle the team’s trio of running backs.

Evan Royster hopes to make the decision for him.

To win the starting job, though, the second-year Fairfax, Va., native must outperform Roy Helu Jr. and Tim Hightower in the coming weeks.

“We’re all trying to do that,” Royster said. “So it’s going to be tough.”

Indeed, the battle figures to be intense.

Helu has a better burst than the others and has stood out through three days of training camp. Hightower is the most experienced, as well as the best pass catcher and blocker, but he’s still easing his way back into playing shape after a knee injury cut his 2011 season short.

Royster’s strengths? Well, singling out what he does well is as difficult as taking him down.

“Story of my life,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been told my whole life that I wasn’t fast enough. But I made it work to this point, so I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve done the past 15 years.”

Royster gained 328 yards on 56 attempts as a rookie and averaged a team-best 5.9 yards per carry. He started the final two games of the season, racking up 132 yards, against Minnesota, and 113 against Philadelphia.

Asked what he likes about Royster, Shanahan didn’t hesitate.

“You can’t tackle him,” the coach said. “He makes people miss. He knows how to cut [and] and he knows when to cut.”

Royster said his familiarity with Shanahan’s offense has, at times, proven to be an advantage as he adapts to the pro game.

“I guess I’m comfortable with the ‘inside zone’,” he said. “I ran a very similar offense with [Coach Tom] Verbanic at [Westfield High in Chantilly] and again at Penn State. I’ve just been doing it so long, I feel comfortable.”

If there’s one thing Royster wants to improve upon this season, he said, it’s his conditioning.

“The big thing for me at the end of last season was being in game shape,” said the 24-year-old, who was used sparingly until mid-December, when he took over for an ailing Helu. “I wasn’t used to getting out there and taking all those reps, especially in the Philly game when] I came out and I was cramping through my whole body. I wasn’t prepared for what I needed to do.”

“So that’s my focus this year: doing what I need to do be ready for games,” he added.

And, of course, winning the starting job.

 

Are the Redskins looking for a running back?

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, a former Redskins beat reporter for the Washington Post, was at Redskins Park on Thursday and just before he left for the evening he tweeted the following:

Before going too deeply into this, let’s take a look at the language. “Internal talks” are just that, discussions among coaches, scouts, and management about the possibility of making a move. It doesn’t mean that they have decided to make a move, just that they are talking about it. I’ve never worked in that environment but it seems logical too believe that for every personnel move that actually is made dozens are discussed internally.

If we work on the assumption that the discussions are indeed taking place and that they are at least somewhat serious, why would the Redskins be looking to add another running back?  The backfield is crowded as it is. At various times last year, Roy Helu Jr., Tim Hightower, and Evan Royster carried the load for the Redskins. Helu and Royster had multiple 100-yard performances last year and Hightower is widely considered to be at the top of the depth chart.

So what would Benson or Grant add to the mix? For one thing, both are arguably better than any back the Redskins have on their roster now. Benson has an active streak of three 1000-yard seasons. Grant has a pair of 1200-yard seasons on his resume.

But both of them will be 30 before the season is out and one would have to question the wisdom of jettisoning Hightower (26), Royster (24) or Helu (23) or even sixth-round draft pick Alfred Morris in favor of a back you might be able to get a good year out of. It would seem to be out of character for a team that has consciously been trying to get younger to bring in an aging back looking for a few more paydays.

On the other hand, Hightower’s knee is still not 100 percent (Shanahan said the goal was to have him ready for the first regular season game, not the first preseason game), Helu has had durability issues, and Royster’s two good games do not certify him as a proven NFL performer. Perhaps Shanahan wants to ensure that Robert Griffin III has a solid running game to take the heat off of him.

So is there anything to this report? La Canfora does still have some sources in the building at Redskins Park so his report should not be dismissed out of hand. But just remember the language. He didn’t say anything that would indicate that a move is imminent or that one would even take place at all. I’ll put this in the category of something to file away and keep an eye on as the preseason progresses. 

 

Another crack at untangling the RB's

NFL.com blogger Gregg Rosenthal recently took a whack at untangling the Redskins’ three-way competition running back. Like most of us who follow the team on a daily basis have done, he ended up throwing his hands up in the air and saying that he didn’t have a clue.

Rosenthal said that “ [Tim] Hightower is good at every facet of his position but not great at any,” and that Roy Helu Jr. “looked dynamic at times last year.” What was interesting, though, was his take on Evan Royster, who averaged 5.9 yards per carry last year (328 yards on 56 carries).

“Royster should not be overlooked,” he wrote. “He finished the season with two big games, and ran with more power than Helu. We went back to watch every Royster snap and he was unremarkable despite impressive numbers.”

This says a couple of things to me. One is that Royster won’t be the kind of running back who makes for a good subject for one of those slow-motion NFL Films shots of a graceful runner gliding through a defense. He’s more of a thrasher.

But it also tells me that the Redskins’ offensive line, a unit disrupted by injuries and suspension by the time Royster started carrying a heavy load, must have been performing at a fairly high level if an unremarkable back is going to average almost six yards a pop and pick up 312 yards of total offense in the last two games of the season.  

 

Camp preview: Who will RG3's targets be?

The Redskins start training camp on Thursday. We’re going around the team to let you know what we’re looking for when practice gets underway. Earlier today we looked at the offensive line, now the offensive backs and receivers are up.

Anticipated starters:

QB Robert Griffin III
RB Tim Hightower
FB Darrel Young
WR Pierre Garçon, Josh Morgan, Leonard Hankerson
TE Fred Davis

In the span of a few hours, one of the Redskins’ soft spots – wide receiver – became one of their strengths. The team acted swiftly on the opening day of free agency, nabbing Garçon and Morgan, who received a combined $28 million in guaranteed money. Although critics will point out that the team still lacks a true No. 1, the Redskins seem to be hoping that a pair of No. 2’s will suffice. Griffin’s third option figures to be Hankerson, a promising second-year receiver who says he’s fully recovered from offseason hip surgery, while Santana Moss should add depth and veteran leadership.

Key reserves:

RB Roy Helu Jr.
WR Santana Moss
TE Chris Cooley

While Garçon, Morgan and Hankerson may appear set to start, it would be premature to count out Moss, who is coming off his worst season (46 receptions and 584 yards in 12 games) since 2002. During the offseason, the 33 year old showed the coaching staff he still is hungry for more by shedding 15 pounds and standing out in OTA’s and minicamp as Morgan and Hankerson nursed injuries.

On the bubble:

WR Brandon Banks
WR Anthony Armstrong

No position figures to be as competitive in camp as wide receiver, where 12 players are battling for six spots. Banks has been told by Coach Mike Shanahan that he must contribute at wide receiver and kick and punt returner, while Armstrong must rebound from a lost year. A deep threat with speed to spare, Armstrong’s inability to beat bump-and-run coverage led to a dramatic reduction in his role last season (7 catches for 103 yards), down from 44 receptions for 871 yards in 2010.

Three things to watch:

All RG3, all the time

Griffin has navigated the first few months of his newfound fame and fortune flawlessly. But how will RG3 cope when each pass is dissected on sports talk radio, each comment parsed in the newspapers? With all apologies to the President, playing quarterback for the Redskins might be the toughest job in Washington.

‘Captain Chaos’ set for a comeback?

Chris Cooley says the problematic left knee that cut short his season a year ago is completely healthy. But the 30-year-old fan favorite costs $6.23 million against the salary cap and will face stiff competition from converted wide receiver Niles Paul for playing time behind starter Fred Davis. To beat out Paul, Cooley must prove that he’s regained his (modest) speed and is the better blocker.

Who will emerge from the trio of running backs?

Tim Hightower, a Shanahan favorite, enters training camp atop the depth chart. But the versatile 26-year-old is coming off major knee surgery, raising questions about his ability to elude defenders. If Hightower falters, look Shanahan to give Helu (three consecutive 100-plus yard performances last season) and/or Royster (two 100-yard  efforts) the opportunity to step forward.

Get ready for running back by committee

The folks at Pro Football Weekly are hearing “whispers” that Tim Hightower has the inside track to be the Redskins’ starting running back this year. 

They say that Roy Helu Jr will be a “10-15 snap player” due to durability concerns and that Evan Royster “lacks the speed to be anything but a situational back.” We’ll look at those issues in a minute but first let’s look at Hightower as a workhorse back.

Coming into 2010, Hightower had carried the ball 14 or more times in a game six times during his three-year NFL career. In his first three games with the Redskins he carries 25, 20, and 14 times. A shoulder injury limited him to eight carries the next week and kept him out of the next game, which came after the bye week. That was the first game he had missed since coming into the league.

In Week 7 he was on his way to another heavy workload with 17 carries before he suffered a torn ACL that ended his season.

One could conclude that the Cardinals, his previous NFL team, was using him properly, starting him frequently (36 starts in three seasons in Arizona) but limiting his workload. With the caveat that five games is a small sample size and that the shoulder and knee injuries could happen to anyone, it’s possible that the Redskins gave Hightower too heavy a workload.

The same could be true for Helu. He played over 50 snaps in each of the games from Weeks 12-15 and then had to sit out the Week 16 Vikings game with an assortment of ailments. He was limited to 11 snaps in the season finale against the Eagles. It looks like his workload should be limited but dropping him down to 10-15 snaps per game, as PFW suggests, 

Royster ran a pedestrian 4.64 in the 40 at the combine (compared to a 4.42 for Helu) so there is solid evidence to back up lack of speed rap. But he did have two 100-yard games in the last three weeks and he averaged 5.9 yards per carry. He many not have been running very fast last year but he was getting somewhere.

What all of this means is that the era of the workhorse running back in Washington is over, at least for now. You have three backs all of whom have some skills but none of whom can be the prime back in the way that John Riggins, Clinton Portis, Stephen Davis, and others were. 

The running back committee will emerge either by choice or by circumstances. Last year Kyle and Mike Shanahan basically worked their backs until they couldn’t go any more. That forced other backs into action.

If they try that again this year, they are likely to have the same result. If they plan out a rotation they might have some more backs standing by the end of the year. 

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

 

Redskins in-depth chart: Offensive backs

The Redskins’ 90-man offseason roster is set, at least for the time being. It’s time to take a look at who they have, who will start, and who will be around when the Sept. 9 opener in New Orleans rolls around.

We’ll start this series off with a look at the offensive backs.

Quarterback

Starter: Robert Griffin III
Reserves: Rex Grossman, Kirk Cousins
Fighting for a job: Jonathan Crompton

It took just two sentences by Mike Shanahan at the end of the rookie minicamp to clarify the picture here. He said that Griffin “is the starter, period.” And he said that “with the three quarterbacks we’ve got right now, I am excited to keep three quarterbacks.”

That means that both Grossman and Cousins will be on the roster backing up Griffin, not necessarily in that order. It seems likely that Grossman will hold down the No. 2 job at least at the start of the season but the rookie Cousins could jump ahead of Grossman as the season goes on. Crompton is there as a camp arm and in case of injury. He is eligible to return to the practice squad but with three QB’s on the 53-man roster that is unlikely to happen.

Running back

Starter: Roy Helu Jr.
Reserve: Tim Hightower, Evan Royster
Fighting for a job: Alfred Morris, Tristan Davis, Lennon Creer, Antwon Bailey

Hightower could end up starting or it could be Helu. And it won’t matter. The prime running back will be the guy getting the carries in the fourth quarter and we won’t know who that is until the fourth quarter of the first game. Even then, it could change from week to week. 

We wrote extensively about Hightower’s possible role here earlier this week. 

Helu has shown that he has some special ability so he may be the starter regardless of Hightower’s status. But Helu wore down when his workload got to be about 25 carries per game late in the season. He needs to carry 15-18 times a game and either Hightower or Royster can spell him.

Royster did not get off of the practice squad last year until the 11^th game of the season. He responded well with over 100 yards rushing in  two late-season games. The rookie averaged 5.9 yards per carry, an impressive number albeit one based on a small sample size of 56 attempts.

Morris, a sixth-round draft pick has a very good chance of sticking around if Hightower or another veteran back is not signed and he has a decent chance to make it even if another back is added if he can back up at fullback (see below). 

Davis, Creer and Bailey have only slim chances of making the roster out of camp. However, there likely will be a running back on the practice squad and the three will be vying for that spot.

Fullback

Starter: Darrel Young

That’s it, at least for right now. There have been rumors of the Redskins looking to sign a veteran fullback but that has yet to happen. 

Morris did line up at fullback at times during the rookie camp. If he can become a solid option as a backup there, he would greatly enhance his chances of making the team. 

 

Hightower says he'll be ready for opener

After re-signing with the Redskins, Tim Hightower told Comcast SportsNet's Kelli Johnson that he wasn't sure if he'd be fully healthy for minicamp or even training camp but he vowed to be ready for the season opener in New Orleans on Sept. 9.