Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Tanard Jackson is playing catch up

If Tanard Jackson returns to practice Thursday as expected, then the competition at safety can finally begin in earnest.

Jackson missed the three days of training camp with a calf muscle strain, then sat out the next three days because of a CBA-mandated acclimation period.

“It definitely didn’t help,” he said of the delay. “But it’s a long camp; we still have a lot competition left. My opportunity will come.”

Jackson is expected to challenge Madieu Williams for the starting free safety job. Brandon Meriweather, meanwhile, is expected to start at strong safety, while DeJon Gomes and Reed Doughty appear to be battling for backup duty.

Jackson said he can play both safety positions, but acknowledged he’s more comfortable playing free.

The native of Silver Spring began camp on the physically unable to perform list because of the ailing calf muscle. He said he was cleared by team doctors Sunday but couldn’t join practice immediately because of a provision in the CBA that prohibits contact drills and pads during a player’s first three days in camp.

“I’ve been patient these past three days,” he said. “I didn’t know about the acclimation thing in the new CBA. I guess it’s a good thing because it protects us.”

Jackson joined the Redskins in April following his release by Tampa Bay, where he missed the majority of the 2010 season after being suspended by the NFL for a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. He was reinstated seven games into the 2011 season but had surgery on his shoulder in January. The Bucs cut him in April when he a failed physical exam. 

The hard-hitting 27-year-old didn’t stay unemployed long. Secondary Coach Raheem Morris – Jackson’s head coach in Tampa Bay – quickly reached out to the safety, who, in 2009, posted career highs in tackles (71) and interceptions (5) in 12 games.

In 56 career games – all with the Bucs – Jackson has 239 tackles, 10 interceptions and a sack. 

“As soon as I got released, I was on the phone with Raheem and Coach [Jim] Haslett, in less than 30 minutes,” Jackson said.

But if he wants to remain with his hometown team – and reward Morris’ faith in him – he’s got to make up for lost time.

And quickly.

“I don’t have to overdo it,” he said. “But I’m anxious to get out there. I’m ready to go now.”

 

 

 

Camp preview: Safety in numbers?

By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com 

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. Yesterday we looked at the offense (line, backs/receivers). We started the defense today with the line and linebackers and now we’ll look at the defensive backs.

Anticipated starters:

CB Josh Wilson
CB DeAngelo Hall
SS Brandon Meriweather
FS Tanard Jackson

Hall and Wilson return as starters on a secondary that ranked among the team’s most disappointing units last season. After those two, well, there’s not a whole lot of certainty for position coach Raheem Morris, who’s in his first season in Washington. Morris will rely on newcomers Meriweather, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, and Jackson, a playmaker, to replace Oshiomogho Atogwe, who was cut, and oft-injured LaRon Landry, who was placed on the Jets’ physically unable to perform list Monday.

Key reserves:

S DeJon Gomes
S Madieu Williams
CB Cedric Griffin

If either Meriweather or Jackson falter, Gomes and Williams could challenge for significant playing time. Griffin, meantime, is a hard hitter who should see plenty of playing time and add some much needed depth and snarl to the position. 

On the bubble:

CB Kevin Barnes
CB Chase Minnifield
CB Richard Crawford
CB Morgan Trent
CB Brandyn Thompson
S Reed Doughty
S Jordan Bernstine
DB Travon Bellamy

Barnes struggled in slot-corner coverage last season, while Doughty, who has been counted out often during his Redskins’ tenure, once again finds himself fighting for a job. Thompson showed some promise last year but he will have to fight off Crawford, Trent, and possibly Minnifield if he is going to stick around this season.

Three things to watch:

Who survives? When practice begins Thursday, there will be 15 defensive backs on the roster. When the regular season begins in New Orleans on Sept. 9, there will be nine. There is no obvious “camp fodder” here; every player except Bellamy either was drafted by the Redskins or has NFL playing experience. In other words, it figures to among the more intriguing position battles.

What’s Minnifield’s status? Signed out of UVA in May, Minnifield was expected to start the season as a reserve. But he’ll reportedly start training camp on the PUP list as he continues to recover from microfracture knee surgery in January. He has a very good chance of contributing to the team at some point, but will it be this year or in 2013?

Can D-Hall rebound? In 2010, Hall made six interceptions and 95 tackles and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career. In 2011, however, he might have cost the Redskins two wins against the Cowboys. He let Dez Bryant slip away from him on third and 21 situation in their September meeting, then he slipped in man-to-man coverage on Bryant in overtime two months later. Which DeAngelo will show up this season? 

Gomes looking at a crowded safety picture

Safety DeJon Gomes has an excellent opportunity in front of him and it would help both him and the Redskins if he could take advantage of it.

A fifth-round pick in last year’s draft, Gomes played enough to get his feet very wet in 2011. He appeared in 15 games, getting in on defense in eight of them. Gomes’ first start came in Week 11 against the Cowboys and he played 74 of the 77 defensive snaps, posting seven tackles, three assists, and two quarterback hurries.

He started the last four games of the season, playing 122 of 249 snaps. Gomes’ never did match the solid performance he turned in during that Dallas debut but his play was passable for a rookie.

This year, starting safeties LaRon Landry and O. J. Atogwe are gone. However, Gomes’ play was not good enough to cause the Redskins to immediately promote him to the starting job. The team brought in free agents Tanard Jackson, Brandon Meriweather, and Madieu Williams and drafted Jordan Bernstine in the seventh round. It will be a challenge for Gomes to make the team and to get as much playing time as he did last year.

It seems a good bet that Jackson, who played for defensive backs coach Raheem Morris in Tampa Bay, will get one of the starting safety jobs. Meriweather might be penciled in for the other one at this point in time but Gomes, Williams, and Reed Doughty will all have an opportunity to knock him out of the job before training camp is over.

Since the NFL lockout wiped out the offseason program last year, Gomes needs to take full advantage of it this year. He has looked fine during OTA’s but, as Mike Shanahan always says, you can’t judge running backs or safeties until they put the pads on. That won’t happen until training camp starts in late July. 

He will be one to watch during training camp. If Gomes can build on what he learned last year during the offseason this year and put everything together in August he has a chance to get a lot of playing time and perhaps even start a lot of games.

Even if Gomes can’t nail down a starting job in 2012 he could prepare himself to get one next year. Williams, Meriweather, and Jackson all signed one-year contracts and none of them is necessarily considered to be a long-term solution. If Gomes can be a solid role player this year he could set himself up well for the future.

 

Rookie preview: Jordan Bernstine

By Ben Standig
CSNwashington.com 

Jordan Bernstine

Safety
Iowa
5-10, 211

The need: The Redskins secondary is undergoing a major overhaul, especially at safety.  Underwhelming free agents Brandon Meriweather, Tanard Jackson and Madieu Williams joined the two holdovers, Reed Doughty and DeJon Gomes. If that last sentence doesn’t scare you, nothing will. Should the veterans max out – especially Meriweather and Jackson - this unit could surprise. Regardless, hard to imagine anyone here being a mortal lock for the Week 1 roster.

The fit: Bernstine offers versatility – played both safety positions and corner at Iowa – and a big hitting presence. Size is legitimate and is combined with 4.4 speed. Primarily a strong safety last season, he started 11 games for the Hawkeyes and recorded a career-high 15 tackles against Michigan.

The depth chart: To make the final roster, Bernstine likely needs to pass either Meriweather or Doughty. If he shows ability to play both safety spots/ or strong plus corner at the pro level, could stick as final defensive back. Again, with no spots safe at safety, opportunity exists. Another potential tiebreaker could be Bernstine’s play on special teams. Averaged 24.4 yards on 30 kickoff returns and his physical attributes plus penchant for hitting make for an ideal chaser of kicks.

Bernstine’s upside: Even if he makes the final roster, hard to imagine Bernstine receiving many snaps on defense next season. However, should he exceed playing time expectations, could become a fan favorite if he lights up an opposing receiver or three. Realistically Bernstine has the look of a 2012 practice squad player.

Pro Football Weekly on Bernstine: “Has the size and mentality of a safety combined with the speed and explosion of a cornerback, as evidenced by his 41-inch vertical leap and broad jump of 10 feet 7 inches…Seeks the big hit, but tackles inconsistently and is not as instinctive as he is athletic. Durability has been an issue, though he could be attractive as a reserve DB/special-teamer.”

Bernstine on Bernstine: (on what he does well): “As far as my game, the biggest part of it is that I’m athletic and I like to put my face in there, which is why I felt I was a good fit at Iowa at strong safety. I mean, I like to hit.  I like to come down and be a factor in the run game, but I can also go out and cover tight ends or slot receivers.” 

Previously:

• G Adam Gettis
• T Tom Compton

 

Landry's Redskins career: Bad luck, bad management

It was never meant to be for LaRon Landry in Washington. The Area 51 master plan with Landry (No. 30) and Sean Taylor (No. 21) patrolling the back end of the defense ended when Taylor was gunned down in his home during Landry’s rookie season.

He spent the next two seasons playing free safety, a position that penalized his natural aggressiveness. The sight of him playing 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage was strange, almost sad.

Then Mike Shanahan and Jim Haslett came in, installed the 3-4 defense, and moved Landry back to strong safety. Playing closer to the line he was a force, the perfect match of player and system. He was playing at an all-pro level until an Achilles injury ended his season.

Landry started 2011 on the PUP list and missed most of training camp. He wasn’t able to go until the third week of the season and while he showed flashes of his pre-injury form he never seemed to be quite right.

He again ended the year on injured reserve. A dispute over how the injury should be treated led to a mutual disinterest in his return to the Redskins when he became an unrestricted free agent this year.

Landry typifies how things have been for the Redskins in the past 20 years or so. There were high hopes when he was drafted sixth overall. Even then, there was some doubt as to whether he was the right choice with a pick that high since the Redskins already had one highly drafted, dominant safety in Taylor. Left on the board when Landry was picked were Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, and Darrelle Revis.

The high hopes where dashed by a combination of bad management when Jim Zorn and Greg Blache had him playing out of position for two years and bad luck with the loss of Taylor and the injury.

Landry’s departure leaves Brian Orakpo as the team’s “senior” first-round draft pick. He was selected 13^th overall in 2009. First-round players are supposed to be the long-term core of an NFL team. It is no wonder the team has struggled in recent years.

 

Redskins will see if Meriweather can revive his career

The reports that Brandon Meriweather has signed with the Redskins immediately drew some snarky comments from some media types on Twitter.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com tweeted, “Why would the Redskins sign Brandon Meriwether? Have they watched him play?”

Darin Gantt, a former Panthers beat reporter, pulled in the perception that the Redskins overpaid to get wide receiver Pierre Garçon to sign a free agent contract on Tuesday. In reference to the Meriweather acquisition Gantt tweeted, “Apparently funding Garcon contract with money saved on film.”

Snark aside, the Redskins will have a project on their hands. Meriweather's career took a precipitous drop last year after he made back-to-back Pro Bowls with the Patriots.

In fact, many say that he didn’t really deserve to make the Pro Bowl after the 2009 and 2010 seasons, that he made it based on his status as a first-round draft pick and the reputation of the Patriots’ defense.

Certainly Bill Belichick wasn’t impressed with his back-to-back Pro Bowl credentials last summer. Meriweather found himself playing with the second unit during the preseason and he found himself on the waiver wire when final cuts came down.

He did have a major distraction prior to training camp. On Feb. 27, two men were shot during a brawl outside of a house party in Apopka, Florida. The two victims, who were high school classmates of Meriweather, said that he pulled the trigger.

He denied that he was involved and he eventually was cleared of any wrongdoing. But that did not come until mid-August so by the time his off-field issues were behind him, hit on-field problems were just beginning.

The Patriots cut him at the end of training camp and the Bears, desperate for safety help, signed him. Meriweather started four of the Chicago’s first five games but he spent the rest of the season as a part-time player, when he could get off of the bench at all.

Can he turn his career around with a change of scenery? It will be up to new Redskins secondary coach Raheem Morris to see what he can get out of him.

The Redskins certainly need the help at safety. A year ago, it appeared they would be set there for a few years with LaRon Landry and Oshiomogho Atogwe but it looks like injury-plagued Landry will be allowed to walk as a free agent and Atogwe was released after a subpar 2011 season. Meriweather joins DeJon Gomes and Reed Doughty, both of whom are more suited to backup duty, at safety for the Redskins.

One thing Meriweather could bring to Washington is a badly needed ability to create turnovers. He didn’t have takeaways last year but in his three years starting with the Patriots he had 12 interceptions, which is more than all Redskins safeties combined had in that period of time. He also forced four fumbles.

Despite his ball hawking skills, it might be better to let Meriweather play in the box more like Landry did. Pass coverage is not his strong suit. Per the folks at Pro Football Focus, quarterbacks enjoyed pass ratings of 132 last year and 100 in 2010 when throwing into Meriweather’s coverage.

But the PFF crew rates him pretty well against the run. In a passing league, that is not ideal but Morris and Jim Haslett will have to figure out how to maximize his strong points while keeping opposing offenses from exploiting his weakness.

 

Tags trim free agent market at safety

By Rich Tandler

If the Redskins are looking for possible replacement for safety LaRon Landry in free agency, the field has shrunk by one.

Adam Schefter is reporting that the Titans plan on putting the franchise tag on safety Michael Griffin. If that happens he will become the third safety to be tagged after Tyvon Branch of the Raiders and Dashon Goldson of the 49ers.

Our friend Evan Silva of Rotoworld now rates Landry as the top free safety available in free agency. Certainly, a healthy Landry would be one of the top free agents available at any position. But there is a giant question mark surrounding the condition of his Achilles tendon, which has caused him to miss 15 games the past two seasons.

Had Landry gotten the surgical treatment that the Redskins recommended on his injury, the team might have put the franchise tag on him rather than on Fred Davis. Although word is that the alternative treatment he underwent will have him able to pass a physical, there are concerns that the Achilles will not be able withstand the strain of NFL practices and games.

If the Redskins move on from Landry replacing him will not be easy. Reed Doughty and DeJon Gomes filled in for him when he was out in 2011. Doughty is best suited to reserve duty and while Gomes could develop into a starter at some point he likely has too far to go to be able to get there by the start of the 2012 season.

We touched on some of the prospects available in the draft with Wes Bunting of the National Football Post last week. If a potential trade to land the rights for Robert Griffin III leaves the Redskins with their second- or third-round pick they could take a safety who might be able to start right away such as Harrison Smith of Notre Dame. However, that would preclude taking a wide receiver for RG3 to target or a tackle to protect him.

Silva rates the Jaguars’ Dwight Lowery as the second-best safety available. He started for Jacksonville most of last year before missing most of the last four games with a shoulder injury. Lowery played solid football before that and at age 26 he is right in the age range the Redskins are expected to target in free agency.

The other top free agents safeties:

--Thomas DeCoud, who is about to turn 27, was the Falcons’ starting strong safety for the last three years. If the Redskins are looking for takeaways he could be the guy as he has eight interceptions in the past three years including four in 2011.

--Reggie Smith was a part-time player for the 49ers last year after starting much of the 2010 season.

--Jim Leonhard has been a starter for the Bills, Ravens, and Jets over the past four years. He will be 30 in October, putting him on the edge of the age group the Redskins consider to be prime free agent targets. That doesn’t mean that they won’t look at Leonhard, who also returns punts.

The situation could force the Redskins to either pay a little more than they would like or to consider players who don’t quite fit the mold in terms of age or in other ways.

It will be interesting to watch when free agency starts a week from tomorrow.

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

 

NFL Combine: Not strong at safety

By Rich Tandler

The Redskins are likely to be putting the strong safeties under the microscope when they are at the NFL Combine this week. Starter LaRon Landry could well depart via free agency, and that would create a hole that probably can’t be filled by current roster members.

It probably can’t be filled in the draft, either. The crop of strong safety candidates is exceptionally weak this year. Mark Barron of Alabama is the only one who seems to have a chance of starting in the NFL in 2012 and he is sidelined with a double sports hernia. It is unlikely that he will be able to work out for teams prior to the draft. His work on film at Alabama will be good enough to get him drafted, perhaps even somewhere in the first round.

Once you get past Barron, however, you have nothing but suspects and projects. Kelcie McCaray from Arkansas State is a good athlete but he has problems sticking his nose in to make tackles. Antonio Allen of South Carolina is an old-fashioned in the box safety making his utility limited in these days of three- and four-receiver sets.

Washington also is looking at a thin free agent crop at the position. It will be interesting to see how they might handle Landry’s potential departure.

The complete list of strong safeties invited to the combine is below. They are in the order of Wes Bunting’s scouting grades.

CSN Washington will have wall-to-wall coverage of the NFL Combine starting Feb 23 and our Rich Tandler will be in Indianapolis. If there are any players on the list you’d like to know more about, let us know in the comments or hit Rich up on Twitter @Rich_Tandler.

 

 

Top 2012 free agents: Will the Redskins need a safety?

By Rich Tandler

Our friends at Rotoworld have come up with a comprehensive list of players who will be free agents when the new league year starts at 4 p.m. on March 13. We’re going to go position by position and take a look at the top players who may be available and how they might fit with the Redskins.

See below for a list of positions previously analyzed. Here is a closer look at the top safeties available.

• Tyvon Branch, Raiders 
• LaRon Landry, Redskins 
• Dashon Goldson, 49ers 
• Michael Griffin, Titans 
• Dwight Lowery, Jaguars 
• Thomas DeCoud, Falcons

The Redskins may or may not be in the market for safeties. LaRon Landry has said that he wants to return but interest on the Redskins’ side is problematic based on the health of his Achilles tendon and what Landry’s contract expectations are.

Free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe is likely to be back despite speculation that he could be sent packing after one disappointing season. The paid him over $7 million last year and they should give him another year to see if he can be healthy and productive.

Branch would be the Redskins’ best option if they want to delve into free agency to find a strong safety. He’s fast, a sure tackler, and he’s durable. However, he has not done much in the area of creating turnovers and that’s where the Redskins need help. In four years in the league he has three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

Goldson, Griffin, Lowery, and DeCoud all play free safety. That might not be an obstacle to signing one of them if Landry leaves. He plays a different role, playing in the box and often blitzing rather than playing pass coverage, when he is in the lineup than does whoever substitutes for him. The roles are more interchangeable when some combination of Atogwe, Reed Doughty, and DeJon Gomes is in the lineup.

If the Redskins think they could work with one of the other four top safeties, it seems that Goldson (6 interceptions in 2011) and DeCoud (4 INT’s) might be the better bets.

Previous free agent analysis

• Quarterbacks
• Wide receivers
• Running backs
• Offensive tackles
• Guards
• Centers
• Tight ends
• Defensive line
• Linebackers
• Cornerbacks

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

 

Rookie review: Gomes should have opportunity in 2012

 

By Rich Tandler

During the course of the year, 11 of the Redskins’ 12 draft picks from 2011 were on the active roster. Here we take a look at each of them, how much they played, what they accomplished and what their future prospects are.

See the links below for the previous rookie reviews. Today, it’s safety DeJon Gomes.

DeJon Gomes
Drafted in 5^th round, 146 overall
On roster 16 games, played 15, started 5, played 210 snaps (20 percent)

2011: Gomes made the team out of camp and became the second safety off of the bench. He played only two snaps on defense until the Redskins Week 11 game against Dallas. He started five of the last seven games and he looked like a rookie at times and played well at time. His struggles were mostly in pass coverage as opposing quarterbacks racked up a passer rating of 151.4 when throwing in his direction. Gomes was a sure tackler, however, and played the run well.

Prospects: There could be plenty of opportunity at the safety position for the 2012 Redskins and Gomes is in prime position to take advantage of it. LaRon Landry is a free agent and due to his lingering Achilles injury and his decision to put off getting surgery to repair it there is doubt that he will be back. Oshiomogho Atogwe was injured and often ineffective after signing as hyped free agent a year ago and while he is likely to stay around (but not certain), the Redskins need to have a solid backup in place. Unless the Redskins go for a premium free agent and/or high draft pick at safety, Gomes should get a chance to build on his 2011 experience and get a shot to be a major contributor if not a starter in 2012.

Previous rookie reviews

• G Maurice Hurt 
• LB Markus White 
• NT Chris Neild
• CB Brandyn Thompson 
• WR Aldrick Robinson
• RB Evan Royster
• WR Niles Paul