Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

With Rocky back, does Lorenzo go back outside?

Late last night, Kelli Johnson of Comcast SportsNet broke the story that linebacker Rocky McIntosh will be returning to the Washington Redskins on a one-year deal.

A little later this morning I will take a full look at the depth chart at linebacker in light of McIntosh's return. But the immediate question to ponder is if Lorenzo Alexander will move back to outside linebacker.

The Redskins kept four inside linebackers last year. Now they have starter London Fletcher, Perry Riley and McIntosh competing for the job at the Jack position, the recently-resigned Horatio Blades, and Robert Henson. Even without Alexander that's a crowded picture.

The picture at outside linebacker is considerably different. The Redskins are likely to keep five players there and right now the players behind starters Ryan Kerrigan, a rookie who has missed most of practice so far with a knee injury, and Brian Orakpo are rookie Markus White and fourth-year player Rob Jackson. It certainly seems that Alexander is more needed on the outside, where he started 12 games in 2010. 

This is something that bears watching over the next few days.

Other NFL teams experiencing light attendance at camp

The Redskins have become a pinata for some in the media these days because of the light attendance at training camp. The crowds have unquestionably been smaller than they have been in previous years and some have taken to blaming it on fans finally becoming fed up with the tenure of Dan Snyder as the owner, losing, the lack of star power, the quarterback situation, and any number of other issues surrounding the team.

If all of that was true, then it would figure that the Redskins would be alone in having sparse crowds at training camp, right? I mean, Snyder only owns one team. 

However, after conducting a quick Google search and sending out a few emails I have found that there are some other teams, orgnizations with recent success and highly respected owners, are also finding attendance at training camp practices to be considerably lighter than it has been in the past.

Here is what I found out:

New York Giants--Beat writer Patricia Traina said that attendance at practices was "way down." In fact, she said that the Giants organization asked the media covering the team to publicize the fact that camp is open to fans at no charge. Many of their practices have been at night when, presumably, a normal work schedule would not be an issue in attending. The Giants were 10-6 last year, Super Bowl champs in 2007, and are owned by John Mara, one of the most respected owners in the league. 

Chicago Bears--CSN Chicago's John Mullin esimated that the crowds for Bears practices are "down 15-20 percent." Mullin said that the weather may have been a factor but he described the attendance "surprising" considering that the Bears won the NFC North and were seven points away from going to the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots--Tom Curran of CSN New England told me that attendance was "light" for the first few Patriots practices possibly because the camp schedules came out so close to the start. He said that the crowds have returned to normal.

Pittsburgh Steelers--Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote an article entitled "Lockout costing Steelers money." In it he discussed that fact that merchandise sales at St. Vincent College are anemic "because so few fans are turning out." The Steelers played in the Super Bowl last year and the Rooney family is revered by fans and universally respected by the other organizations in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys--A report in the San Antonio Business Journal estimates that if attendance at Cowboys training camp at the Alamodome continues at its present pace, the attendance will end up being less than half of what it was a year ago. The Cowboys are, of course, according to some, America's Team. (Note: While most teams estimate camp attendance, the Cowboys get a reasonably accurate crowd count via the turnstiles at the Alamodome.)

So, there you have it. Four of the five teams are down in training camp attendance and the other one started out slow. Four of the teams had double-digit win totals in 2010. All of them are well-established NFL franchises with long traditions.

Here is one more that is very much anecdotal but interesting nonetheless. This is a picture of a very sparse gathering at a recent Tennessee Titans practice:

(h/t to @dcsportsbog)

This is not intended to be a thorough survey. I would imagine that, for example, the Eagles are drawing just fine. But certainly you can conclude that the Redskins are not alone in hearing the chirping of crickets where the roar of training camp crowds used to be. 

I'm not trying to present this as a conclusive survey but only as a suggestion that there may be league-wide issues, such as the the fact that the lockout delayed the publication of training camp schedules, giving many fans insufficient notice to take off a weekday and/or travel to a practice site.

 

Redskins depth chart update with Golston, Doughty

The Redskins have brought back two more of their free agents. Defensive end Kedric Golston and safety Reed Doughty, two veterans who came to the Redskins in the 2006 draft, have agreed to terms to return to Washington.

Both can be valued reserves. Golston has started 43 games, Doughty 25. Here is a look at how the presence of each of them affects the depth chart at their positions.

Defensive line

Starters: Stephen Bowen and Adam Carriker at ends, Barry Cofield at nose tackle.
Backups: Jarvis Jenkins and Kedric Golston at ends, Anthony Bryant at nose tackle 

This looks much better now that Golston is in the rotation rather than Darrion Scott or Joe Joseph. Golston was largely ineffective as the starter at end for 13 games but he can contribute as part of a rotation.

Safety

Starters: O. J. Atogwe, LaRon Landry
Reserves: Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore

With Landry and Moore both on the PUP list, the addition of Doughty is huge. He can play either strong or free safety so that gives them a lot of flexibility. Doughty’s return could be bad news for Chris Horton, who has been playing pretty well in Landry’s spot.

 

The cornerback depth chart after Buchanon returns

Yesterday, we took a look at the Redskins’ depth chart after the first week of free agency. Today, Phillip Buchanon agreed to terms to return to the Redskins, shaking up the depth chart at the cornerback spot. Let’s take a quick look at where things stand now.

Cornerback

Starters: DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson
Reserves: Kevin Barnes, Phillip Buchanon

If the Redskins did not sign Buchanon, they were going to sign someone like him, a veteran who would sign for not a whole lot of money and would be fine with being a reserve. Wilson likely remains the starter but that is really a distinction without a difference. So many teams start games with three wide receivers that three CB’s are frequently in at the start of the game. Barnes and Buchanon will compete for that spot.

Byron Westbrook, who will not get on the practice field until Thursday, is the fifth corner but rookie Brandyn Thompson might have something to say about that. 

 

Pull Quotes: Trent Williams

Trent Williams is going into his second year as the starter at left tackle, widely considered to be the toughest and most important position on offense after the quarterback.

He had an up and down rookie year after the Redskins made him the fourth pick of the 2010 draft. The good thing for the Redskins is that Williams realizes that he did not play up to his potential and he has set out to do something about that. He came in about 12 pounds lighter than he did a year ago and it appears that he has turned some weight into muscle.

The proof, of course, will be on the field in September.

Here is some of what Williams had to say when he met with the media on Monday:

On the return of Jammal Brown:

He is a huge piece to the puzzle and to our success this year, and having Jammal back in the second year in the offense, he is way more comfortable than he was last year. We have big things planned.

On practicing without pads:

To us, it really doesn’t matter. When you are in the trenches you have to go just as hard, pads on or pads off.

On how his body feels different from last year:

Night and day. I feel more explosive. My legs are with me during the whole practice and not giving up in the middle. I feel great.

On offseason training:

I pushed myself this offseason harder than I have ever pushed myself. I ended up training seven days a week most of the time. I had a sour taste in my mouth after last season and I just wanted to get better. I wanted to come back a totally different player.

On the need to step up as a leader with Casey Rabach gone

Yes, I feel like I should be a better leader anyway, not just because Casey is gone.

On having offensive lineman Kory Lichtensteiger playing next to him for a second year:

It definitely improves the continuity. We know each other—I know him and he knows me. It is improving.

 

Look for some more moves at defensive end

I touched on the defensive line situation a little bit yesterday but it is worth going into in some more depth.

The trade of Vonnie Holliday follows the trades of Jeremy Jarmon and Albert Haynesworth and the release of Phillip Daniels. The moves leave the Redskins with three legitimate NFL defensive ends in Jarvis Jenkins, Adam Carriker, and Stephen Bowen. Besides undrafted free agent Jeff Stehle, the only other defensive ends on the roster are Joe Joseph, and Darrion Scott.

The Redskins will carry four or five defensive ends. I am not sure if they would ship Holliday out of town if the only options they have in mind are Joseph, whose NFL experience consists of one game with the Redskins last year, and Scott, who was out of football for two years before playing in two games for the Redskins in 2010.

They could keep three nose tackles in Barry Cofield, Anthony Bryant, and rookie Chris Neild as Cofield has the capability to slide out and play end. Still, if they keep a total of eight defensive linemen—Jim Haslett likes to rotate his d-linemen as much as any coach—that would mean that Joseph or Scott would get a spot.

Perhaps they also are looking at the possibility of putting Ryan Kerrigan at end in passing situations. There has been talk of him doing that ever since he was drafted last April. They might be “counting” him as a defensive end and saving a roster spot.

Or they could be planning to bring in another defensive lineman. Kedric Golston, who started 13 games at end last year, is a free agent. They could come to a deal with him or another similar player out there.

Keep an eye on the position over the next few days. I wouldn’t look for a big acquisition there but they are likely to add a veteran or two.

 

Redskins have 74 in, 16 to go

I just finished updated my spreadsheet of the Redskins roster.

There are 74 players on the roster, counting three signings that have been widely reported but have yet to be announced by the team (veteran H. B. Blades, rookie free agents Marc Verica and Obe Ezah). It does not count the three players on the PUP list (LaRon Landry, Kareem Moore, Robert Henson).

There is a 90-player roster limit this year so the Redskins can sign 16 more players.

Here is how they break down by position (including PUP list):

Cornerback--have 8, likely to keep 5
Safety--6, keep 4
Outside LB--5, keep 5
Inside LB--7, keep 4
Defensive end--7, keep 5
Nose tackle--3, keep 2
Fullback--2, keep 2
Running back--6, keep 3 
Quarterback--4, keep 3
Center--2, keep 1
Guard--5, keep 4
Tackle--5, keep 4
Wide Receiver--10, keep 5
Tight end--4, keep 3
Punter, kicker, long snapper--3, keep 3 

The Redskins had 11 unrestricted free agents when free agency started last Tuesday. Santana Moss has signed with the Redskins and we have the report of Blades being back. There are no reports of any of the other 11 being signed, either in Washington or elsewhere.

 

Cofield: 'I'm a little bigger than most people think'

When the Redskins acquired defensive lineman Barry Cofield early Wednesday morning, many wondered where he would play. He was the Giants’ starting tackle for His listed weight is 306 pounds, at least 30 pound lighter than the standard weight for an NFL nose tackle. However, it appears that Cofield was signed to play nose tackle.

Although Cofield said yesterday that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said that he would play some end, all indications are that he was signed to be the starting nose tackle.

When asked about playing in the middle of the line at that weight, Cofield said that his listed weight is somewhat dated.

“I’m a little bigger than a lot of people think I am,” he said. Just because I was 306 at the combine five years ago doesn’t mean that I’m 306 five years later.”

How much bigger?

“A gentleman never reveals that,” he said to laughter.

He said that he will play the position using leverage, technique, and mental toughness.

“A lot of this is mindset, mentality,” he said. “If don’t want to go in there and play nose tackle and handle that physicality and do that grunt work it’s going to be hard for you no matter how big you are.”

He believes he can overcome his lack of ideal size by staying low. “A lot of times it’s about leverage and the low man will win,” he said.

If Cofield does have success at nose tackle, expect to see him break out his taser celebration. The dance defies description; take a look at the video:

Cofield said that the celebration would come with him. “There’s been a great demand for it, people love it,” he said.  “It’s very special and I can’t wait to share it with the fans of the Redskins.”

 

Fred Davis wants to be perfect

One of the more frequent questions I found in my inbox and on Twitter last year was, “Where’s Fred Davis?”

The tight end had a breakout season in 2009, catching 48 passes for 509 yards and six touchdowns as he started 10 games after Chris Cooley’s season ended early with a broken ankle.

Going into the 2010 season, we heard a lot about the team taking advantage of their newly found weapon by pairing him with Cooley on two tight end sets. Visions of Davis running free through secondaries danced through fans’ heads.

But things did not quite work that way. Davis did not completely disappear as he played in all 16 games and about 36 percent of the offensive plays. But he caught just 21 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns.

Certainly, some of Davis’ issues could be traced to an offense that was generally ineffective. But Davis decided to control what he can control.

He lost 12 pounds, getting down to 242. And he changed his jersey number to 83, the number he wore at USC.

The most significant change, however, may be one that is not visible. “I’m going to change everything about myself, become a student of the game,” he said.

What did the student have for study materials during the NFL lockout?

“I had old film, that I had from last season, look at stuff I used to do, critiquing stuff so I can play with the routes a little bit more, play with the timing of it,” Davis said.

So what is the goal of the film study?

“I want to be perfect. That’s what is is, being a perfectionist. Every time you get out there you want to have a chance to make a play,” he said.

Natural talent can get you a long way in college and maybe for a stretch of games in the NFL. But it appears that Davis has discovered that if a player wants to have a successful NFL career, dedication to the craft and having a desire to be a perfectionist are necessities.

This will be a pivotal year for Davis, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract. It appears that he wants to make the most of it. 

 

Pull Quotes: Kyle Shanahan speaks

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media today. Here is some of what he had to say.

On the quarterback competition between John Beck and Rex Grossman: “It is going to take a while . . .  Both of those guys will have their fair shot and see which one comes up.”

On newly-acquired offensive lineman Chris Chester: “We feel he fits our scheme very well . . . You have to be flexible everywhere but we plan for him to be at right guard.”

On brining in veteran receivers Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth after drafting three receivers in April: “We wanted to draft some young guys but we do no just want them competing with other young guys. We need these guys to compete with some guys that have done it, who are proven receivers . . . I do not feel our depth has been great.”

On the release of longtime center Casey Rabach: “Casey is one of my favorite players I have coached. He is a warrior and does everything you ask, but with the situation we are in we need some young guys to step up. We have some holes on our team and you cannot fill all those holes right away.”

On Will Montgomery, who will be given first shot at Rabach’s job: “When Will stepped in there, he competed, he battled. It does not always look clean but he fights you to the end.”