Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Is Gano the guy in 2012?

By Rich Tandler

Around the time of the Dallas game, there were many who wanted to see the Redskins cut kicker Graham Gano. I’m sure that there would have been no shortage of volunteers to drive him to the airport after he missed two field goals. One may have given the Redskins a win in regulation, the other would have won the game in overtime.

The next week, Gano missed a field goal and an extra point and even though both were blocked due to massive breakdowns in the middle of the protection, the calls for a new kicker barely diminished.

Since then, however, Gano has been money. He has made 13 in a row including going four of four twice, against the Jets and Vikings.

If you take out blocked field goals, he is 30 of 35 on the season. That’s 86 percent, tied for 14^th in the NFL. That’s not great but it has him tied with David Akers of the 49ers and just ahead of the likes of Jason Hanson of the Lions and Adam Vinatieri of the Colts.

Given that, what should the Redskins do with Gano this coming season?

 

Alexander takes charge of special teams

Lorenzo Alexander knew that he would no longer be a starter on defense after the team drafted Ryan Kerrigan in the first round. But he did not mope about, he went about doing his job, which is to be they lynchpin and captain of the Redskins special teams. He is performing at a Pro Bowl level on teams, but like everyone else on the Redskins, he is disappointed with the team's record this year.

 

Reports: Danny Smith to return to Redskins

According to a report on the Washington Post website and a tweet from Chris Russell of ESPN980, Danny Smith has turned down an offer from the Denver Broncos to become their new special teams coach under new head coach John Fox. It is expected that Smith will sign a new contract to remain with the Redskins. According to Russell's tweet, the offer from the Broncos was "lucrative". Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network first said that Fox might be interested in hiring Smith. Smith's possible departure drew some negative reviews by some players, who universally like and respect Smith. Former Redskin safety and special teams player Matt Bowen summed up the comments with the following tweets just after word broke that Smith is staying:

Danny Smith is one of the reasons you want to go to work everyday at Redskins Park as a player... unique coach. Danny Smith is great. Big for Coach Shanahan to have him on the staff. Can put him up there with Bobby April as tops in the NFL.

While the players love Smith, how do they perform on the field? Take a look at the feature article I just posted on the subject.

Redskins sign P Glenn Pakulak to PS

The Washington Redskins aren't quite ready to give up on Hunter Smith just yet. They signed punter Glenn Pakulak to a contract today, but the deal was to a spot on the practice squad. Wide receiver Trent Shelton was released from the PS to make room. Pakulak is in his second season out of Kentucky. He was the Saints' punter for half of the season in 2008 with 24 kicks for an average of 47.7 yards and a net of 37.8. Apparently they will wait until the last minute to make a change to the 53-man roster. It seems that there is a chance that Smith will be ready to go. The signing of Pakulak allows them to get him into practices and ready to go if needed. Per Jason Reid and others:

The Redskins are Pakulak's ninth NFL team. He previously played for the Bears, Falcons, Jets, Raiders, Steelers, Titans, Seahawks and most recently, the Saints.

Frost back in the fold

The Washington Redskins finally have a punter on their roster.

Derrick Frost agreed to terms with the club today meaning that he will return for his fourth season with in Washington.

Frost, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed on for one year. He took over the position two games into the 2005 season and he has managed to hang on to the job ever since. He has averaged 41.2 yards per punt for the Redskins.

His most serious challenge came in training camp in 2006 when the team brought in an Australian punter named David Lonie. The rookie impressed early but didn't look as good in the preseason games and Frost held on.

Speaking of holding, that's another important function for Frost on the team. He holds for kicker Shawn Suisham, who had a fairly successful 2007 campaign.

It is unlikely that Frost will receive any competition in training camp. Preseason rosters are limited to 80 players and, since NFL Europa no longer exists, there will be no exemptions for players who were in action in the spring and early summer. There is a greater need for additional defensive tackles to rotate through in the August heat and a fourth quarterback to help run multiple units install the offense than there is for an additional punter.