Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Free Agent and Trade Frenzy Brings More Help to the Defense

2011-08-17T00:30:00.002-04:00

At last, the talk of the NFL Lockout is behind us and the fun has begun. Much like they did at the NFL draft in April, Redskins' fans have watched the team take a very different approach to free agency. Instead of going out and signing one or two of the highest paid veteran free agents in the middle or second half of their career, the team has focused on adding quality, young, up and coming players who still have potential to improve.

First, however, the Redskins had some unfinished business to take care of. Namely, Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth, and they were smart to resolve both of these issues quickly and quietly and not letting them become a distraction yet again this year. Regardless of only receiving 6th and 5th round picks respectively for them, the important thing is they are gone. The only other option was to release them so they at least got something in return for them. Per the Penguins of Madagascar said, "Smile and wave boys, smile and wave."

Now, on to the Free Agents!

Defense:

Former New York Giant, Barry Cofield, adds some much needed toughness at Nose Tackle where the team struggled last year.

Adding former Cowboys' Defensive End, Stephen Bowen, adds even more depth to the defensive line, which could quickly be becoming a strength. Between Bowen, Cofield, and 2nd round draft pick, Jarvis Jenkins, the defensive front should be much improved.

With Carlos Rogers departing as a free agent, the Redskins made an excellent move and added Defensive Back, Josh Wilson, from the Ravens who is only 26 and steadily improving. This could prove to be their best overall move in free agency.

Offense:

Versatile Guard / Center, Chris Chester, does add flexibility, but he has primarily been a backup player this far in his career.

Guard Sean Locklear is a 30 year old veteran from Seattle who is more of a finesse lineman. It will be interesting to see if he can challenge for a starting job. He does add more badly needed depth to the line.

Trading for Wide Receiver Jabar Gafney does add some more needed veteran leadership for the young, up and coming receiving corps. He is not a star, but he is a consistent player who can and will contribute.

Donte Stallworth is the most bizarre signing of the offseason. When you are trying to rebuild with younger players and guys that can bring a positive influence to the lockeroom, why in the world would you sign a 30 year old, inconsistent, injury plagued player who actually killed someone while he was driving drunk and stoned. On top of that, after having to deal with the McNabb and Haynesworth fiascos for the last year, why would you possibly sign a guy like this? It makes no sense at all.

Re-Signings:

Two of the Redskins' own free agents that they simply had to re-sign were Offensive Tackle, Jammal Brown, and Wide Receiver, Santana Moss. If either of these players had signed with another team, it would have been absolutely devastating to the offense.

Two other very smart re-signings were Safety, Reed Doughty, and Linebacker, Rocky McIntosh. When healthy, Reed Doughty is a quality reserve player with starting experience and, while he may not be the most ideal fit in a 3-4 defense, Rocky McIntosh is still only 28 and was very productive with 110 tackles.

What is Missing?

As if Redskins' fans need anyone to point it out, we still have no Quarterback. One of the top free agent targets that the team should have gone after, IF they wanted to have a chance to compete this year, is Matt Moore who has signed with the Dolphins. Moore is a young Quarterback who is still improving and has valuable starting experience. So far, reports are he is having a fantastic preseason and could be replacing incumbent starter Chad Henne. Moore's performance is no doubt part of the reason they have backed off of their potential trade for Broncos' Quarterback Kyle Orton.

The top trade target of this offseason, IF they wanted to have a chance to compete this season, was the above mentioned Quarterback Kyle Orton. The Miami Dolphins were pursuing a trade for Orton who is better than most people give him credit for, but the teams could not agree to terms and the Broncos appear to be set on keeping him now that Tim Tebow has performed poorly so far this preseason. Had the Redskins gotten involved early, they may have had a chance at landing Orton for a draft pick.

Instead, they said last year's 3rd string Quarterback John Beck would be this year's starter and they settled for signing free agent Quarterback Rex Grossman, who probably would not be signed by any other team in the NFL. However, Beck has been so inaccurate in the preseason, it would be surprising if Grossman was not the team's starter in week 1.

What Does It All mean?

It means that the Redskins have made a substantial upgrade to their defense and they should be much improved on that side of the ball. With that said, their numbers may not be as good as expected by the end of the year. Why? Because they are going to spend the majority of the season on the field due to a horrible offense that has potential to be really, really bad.

The only reason I can see completely ignoring the Quarterback position in the college draft and in free agency is that Mike Shanahan is planning on a horrific season in 2011 and he is putting all of his football eggs in next year's expected top draft pick, Andrew Luck's, Quarterback basket.

Since the team did not go crazy in free agency like they usually do, they may be saving up for next year. In 2012, the Redskins could potentially land Quarterback Andrew Luck in the draft and a top free agent Wide Receiver like Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson, or possibly even Larry Fitzgerald. At least Dan Snyder can't take away our dreams.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

2011 Free Agency & Trade Targets

2011-07-26T23:46:00.001-04:00

After adding some badly needed depth to the team through the college draft, the Redskins still have a number of glaring holes that must be filled through free agency. Here are the team's biggest remaining needs.

QUARTERBACK

While Shanahan and company did a good job of using the draft to add depth to several key positions, they completely ignored the most important position...quarterback. If the Redskins hope to compete at all in the upcoming 2011 season, they must acquire a veteran quarterback to be their starter. Last year's third string QB, John Beck, is (or will be shortly) the only QB on the roster and with all respect to John, he is not the answer.

There are two immediate targets at the quarterback position. The top free agent target should be Matt Moore of the Carolina Panthers who has starting experience and, at 26, is still young and improving. The other top target is Kyle Orton who may vary well be available by trade. Carson Palmer would be another potential trade target, however, the Cincinnati Bengals have stated emphatically that he will not be traded.

Obviously, the team must trade Donovan McNabb as quickly as possible to eliminate distractions. Players are tired of hearing about and dealing with the turmoil surrounding McNabb and Albert Haynesworth. The quicker he is moved the better and the Redskins would be wise to take whatever draft pick they can get for him and move on.

If the Redskins do not make an aggressive move to land a legitimate starting quarterback to lead the team, it will become clear that Shanahan is sandbagging the 2011 season in hopes of landing the #1 pick in the 2012 draft, which will be Stanford QB Andrew Luck.

OFFENSIVE LINE

First and foremost, the Redskins must re-sign their own free agent starting Right Tackle, Jammal Brown. Jamaal came back from injury last year and is a key to holding the offensive line together. If Jammal is allowed leave and sign with another team, it would be a huge blow and could lead to the beginning of a long, long year for the offensive line.

The team also needs to strengthen the inner portion of their line. Center, Casey Rabach, is passed his prime and right guards Will Montgomery and Artis Hicks are backups.

The top targets here is free agent Guard Marshal Yanda of the Baltimore Ravens followed by Davin Joseph of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

WIDE RECEIVER

The annual desperate search for wide receivers continues on in 2011. The top priority is to re-sign Wide Receiver Santana Moss. Santana is really a # 2 wideout, but he has played as the the Redskins' # 1 wideout for several years now. If Moss signs with another team, it could be a disastrous year for the Redskins offense. The Redskins did draft wide receivers Leonard Hankerson and Niles Paul in the draft. Both receivers have potential, but we Redskins fans have a hard time relying on potential. Especially, after both 2008 second round wide receiver picks, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, both flopped terribly.

There are a number of free agent targets here including Sidney Rice of the Minnesota Vikings, Braylan Edwards of the New York Jets, Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Steve Breaston of the Arizona Cardinals.

DEFENSIVE LINE

One of the weakest areas of the defense in 2011 was the Defensive Line. In order for the defense to continue to improve, the Redskins need to add more depth and more pass rush capability. A popular name that would be a good fit here is Cullen Jenkins of the Green Bay Packers.

Of course, there is still the never ending Albert Haynesworth issue. Mike Shanahan must resolve this issue just as quickly as the McNabb issue. If there is anyone willing to take Haynesworth in a trade, outside of the NFC East, they must take whatever they can get for him, even a bag of donuts. They just need to be rid of him. If they cannot find any trade partners, they must find a way to keep him away from the team.

LINEBACKER

The team added young stud Ryan Kerrigan through the draft to man the outside linebacker position. However, the team still needs to add depth and possibly a starter at the Middle Linebacker position.

Free agent linebacker, Rocky McIntosh, was not a good fit in the 3-4 defense and will most likely be sign with another team. The top targets here are Barrett Ruud of the Tampa Bay Buccanears, Stephen Tulloch of the Tennessee Titans, and Paul Posluszny of the Buffalo Bills.

CORNERBACK

This is probably the most difficult situation to figure out for the team. Carlos Rogers is a solid cover corner, but he has never lived up to expectations and he simply cannot catch the football to create turnovers. In order to keep Carlos, the Redskins would most likely have to overpay for him and he just is not worth it. Especially if the team is going to enter into an official rebuilding mode.

Probably the wisest move here is to allow Carlos to leave, re-sign free agent cornerback Philip Buchanon, and add another veteran free agent to the mix.

Let the frenzy begin!

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Post NFL Draft Review

2011-04-26T21:36:00.064-04:00

Well, for Redskins' fans, this NFL draft was a very different experience as we watched the Redskins brain trust take a very different approach. The Redskins' brain trust traded back in the draft multiple times to obtain additional picks in the later rounds in order to fill a long list of needs on the roster. The team needed an infusion of both depth and youth at almost every position and Mike Shanahan and company did accomplish several of the team's goals.

Surprisingly, Shanahan and Bruce Allen focused on the defense early, which struggled mightily last year with the switch to a 3-4 defense. While first round pick Ryan Kerrigan is not generally considered an elite level player, he should be a very good player for the team and an excellent fit in the 3-4 defense at Outside Linebacker and, possibly, Defensive End in certain situations. With London Flether getting close to retirement and Rocky McIntosh set to be a free agent, the Redskins needed to add help at Linebacker and this was a solid move.

Another glaring need was depth on the Defensive Line and the Redskins helped address that need by selecting Jarvis Jenkins. Some analysts consider Jenkins a bit of a reach in the 2nd round, but the team believes he has potential and flexibility playing defensive end and some defensive tackle.

Once again, the Redskins also continued their tradition of drafting Wide Receivers beginning with Leonard Hankerson, a good size wideout with potential, in the 3rd round. But that was not enough for Mike Shanahan so he added Niles Paul in the 5th round and Aldrick Robinson in the 6th round. This may mark the end of the road for Wide Receiver, and former 2nd round pick, Malcolm Kelly, who has been a huge disappointment to put it politely.

With Clinton Portis gone and Ryan Torain still an injury risk, the Redskins also needed to add depth to the running back corps. After all the excitement last preseason when the Redskins had 3 aging veterans in Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willy Parker on the roster, the Redskins went with the youth movement this year and drafted Running Back Roy Helu in the 4th round and Evan Royster in the 6th round. Helu is thought to be a good fit in coach Shanahan's running scheme, but Royster is most likely an emergency back and special team's player.

The team also added more help to the defensive side of ball by selecting Safety Dejon Gomes, Cornerback Brandyn Thompson, Defensive End Markus White, and Defensive Tackle Christopher Neild. Shanahan also selected Offensive Guard Maurice Hurt to round out the draft.

It was a welcome change to see the Redskins trade down in the draft and accumulate picks in the later rounds. One of the questions now is, did they use those additional picks wisely? Several of the later round picks, like Dejon Gomes, were considered reaches and some of them may have a difficult time making the team. It is clear that this is a team in transition and there is no way to fill all of the team's needs in one draft so Mike Shanahan and company chose to focus on improving the team's defense and it appears they have accomplished that.

Of course, it would not be Dan Snyder's Redskins if there wasn't some type of controversy. As every Redskins' fan knows all to well, the team's biggest need is at Quarterback and that position was completely ignored. Most fans thought the team would use their 1st round pick, or at least, their 2nd round pick on a Quarterback and it did not happen.

QB Blaine Gabbert was available when the Redskins selected their 1st round pick at number 10, but the team passed on him along with everyone else. If Mike Shanahan did not think Gabbert or any of the other available Quarterbacks were potential franchise Quarterbacks, it is understandable that they did not draft one in the 1st round. However, what does not make sense is that they did not draft any Quarterback at all even for developmental purposes. While the Redskins need a starting Quarterback, the team should also be looking for a young backup Quarterback they can develop over time. Surely, one of the many Quarterbacks selected in this year's draft could have fit the bill.

After painfully watching Shanahan ignore the Quarterback and Offensive Line positions, where the team needs help at both Guard and Center, we can't help but think Shanahan is planning a run at next year's projected #1 draft pick, Quarterback Andrew Luck. Unfortunately, that could mean a brutal season for the team in 2011. They have some pieces in place on the defense now. Perhaps, they will focus on the offense when the free agent period begins. We can only hope.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

2011 Redskins NFL Draft Preview

2011-04-13T14:40:00.002-04:00

At long last, the draft is here. After all the negative talk about the lockout and worrying about what free agents may be available, we can finally sit down and add some much needed players to our team.

This year, the Redskins have 4 Primary Needs (not necessarily in order):

Quarterback
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Linebacker

Here are the Secondary Needs:

Cornerback
~~Safety~~ - Thanks to Oshiomogho Atogwe
Runningback
Wide Receiver

Let's take a look at this year's positional needs.

Quarterback - This is a major priority. Rex Grossman is a free agent. Donovan McNabb, one way or another, is gone. That leaves John Beck as the only QB on the roster, not a good situation. Make that, a very bad situation.

Offensive Line - The Redskins must resign Right Tackle Jammal Brown. Then, they must upgrade the interior of the line. The Redskins could not run the ball up the middle much at all in 2010. Guard is a glaring weak spot and Casey Rabach is a serviceable Center at best at this stage of his career.

Wide Receiver - Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong, who was a lucky find, must both be resigned. At this point, the best option would be to pursue a WR in free agency. Given the horrible history the Redskins have had drafting WR's and the fact that they have no one to throw the ball to them, this should not be the focus of the draft.

Runningback - Ryan Torain may be a legitmate starter, but the team must add depth due to his injury history.

Defensive Line - In the 3-4 defense, you must have an anchor in the middle at Nose Tackle and the Redskins did not have one in the 2010 season. Hopefully, Ma'ake Kemoeatu can continue his comeback from his previous achilles injury and be at least a part-time force in the middle. Albert Haynesworth is a complete loss and will not be with the team in 2011. If Jeremy Jarmon is not ready to step up, depth at Defensive End is needed as well.

Linebacker - Brian Orakpo is the young star of the defense and somehow London Fletcher continues to play at a high level, but at 35 we must plan for the future. Rocky Macintosh was solid in the 4-3 defense, but does not seem well suited for the 3-4.

Cornerback - DeAngelo Hall is solid on one side, but Carlos Rogers has never lived up to his high draft pick status. He is not a bad coverage corner, but his inability to get any turnovers at all is a major negative. There may be too many other needs to address cornerback this offseason.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Oshiomogho Atogwe, Welcome to the Redskins

2011-03-04T10:12:00.005-05:00

The Redskins have made a very nice early offseason addition to their roster right before the beginning of the CBA lockout. The team has signed Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe who will line up as a starter alongside LeRon Landry and provide the Redskins with a big upgrade in the secondary.

A number of Redskins' analysts and fans have questioned the signing due to the fact that Atogwe is 29 years old and that Mike Shanahan has declared a youth movement for the team. The fact is, if it was possible to sign 24 year old stars at every position, every NFL team would do it. Atogwe is only 29 years old and while a lot of RB's do not make it past 30 years old in the league anymore, many players at other positions do play well into their thirties.

The team is moving in the right direction, at least in some respects. The roster is slowly getting younger with the cuts of Clinton Portis, Derrick Dockery, and Andre Carter. That trend will continue once the lockout is over. Other older players such as Philip Daniels and Mike Sellers may also very well be two of the next players to be released.

As a player, Atogwe brings one specific dynamic to the team that the Redskins have not had in a long time...Turnovers. The man makes interceptions and causes fumbles at an extremely high rate compared to most safeties in the NFL. And, he had his best seasons under Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett while he was in St. Louis.

With all of the uncertainty the Redskins have at Quarterback, Wide Receiver and the Offensive Line, the Redskins need turnovers. Hopefully, the combination of Atogwe, LeRon Landry, and Deangelo Hall in the secondary, there will be plenty of interception opportunities in 2011.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

No Thank You Bob Sanders

2011-02-22T15:13:00.003-05:00

We appreciate you stopping by the Redskins facility Mr. Sanders and we wish you well as you continue your NFL career. Enough said.

Simply put, Bob Sanders is a backup at this point in his career. He has been an elite level player and would surely be a great addition to any team, if he could stay healthy. Unfortunately, he cannot do that. He gets hurt every single year and misses half of the season. A playoff team looking for extra part-time depth, yes. A rebuilding team trying to build an identity like the Redskins, absolutely not.

If the Redskins are serious about upgrading the Free Safety position, Oshiomogho Atogwe, is a good answer and he happens to be making a visit to D.C. right now. Atogwe may not be considered an elite safety, but he has a knack for ending up with the ball in his hands. He makes interceptions and has turned forced fumbles into an art form. The Redskins desperately need to create more turnovers. Atogwe also played for Jim Haslett in St. Louis and had his best season under him so there is a connection.

Any pieces the Redskins can put in place before the March 4 deadline would be huge so time is of the essence.

If the Redskins and Atogwe cannot come to terms, another target is Eric Weddle (Chargers). Weddle is another very solid free safety who does have one other advantage on his side, his age. Weddle is only 26 while Atogwe is 29 so, barring injury, Weddle would seem to have a few more years left in his prime.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Shaun Rogers Visits the Redskins

2011-02-18T10:37:00.003-05:00

Defensive Tackle Shaun Rogers visited the Redskins this past week along with the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. Rogers is a very large man at about 6'4" and 350 lbs and is an excellent albeit inconsistent player.

The Redskins do need to add depth to the DT position, but it is not nearly as dire as the QB and offensive line positions. The Redskins will need to focus their few draft picks on those two priority needs first so signing Rogers would definitely help to solidify the interior of the defensive line, which struggled against the run. The Redskins still have Maake Kemoeatu signed as their starting DT. Rogers and Kemoeatu together would make a nice rotation for the team in the middle.

While Rogers would be a welcome addition to the team and a definite upgrade, he is not a player to "break the bank" on. As I mentioned above, Rogers has also visited the Chiefs and Saints and the Saints, especially could also really use help at DT. So if you received comparable offers from a team that is rebuilding and a perennial Super Bowl contender, which would you choose?

The Redskins would most likely have to overpay to get Rogers. If they can get him at a reasonable price, they should sign him. If not, move on and see who else comes available later on.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Brandon Banks and NFL Youngsters Clubbing at 3:00AM

2011-02-17T10:38:00.002-05:00

By now, most Redskins fans have heard about what happened to Redskins' KR Brandon Banks. If you have not heard the story, the version most commonly told to the media is that there was an altercation between a friend of Banks and a third party. The third party pulled out a knife and Banks came to the aid of his friend. Of course, this altercation took place at none other than an "upscale" nightclub at about 3:00AM on a Saturday.

At first, we were told Banks had only a scratch. Now, the truth has come out that he has a collapsed lung. Who knows what the truth is? All I know is you can't return punts with a tube sticking out of your lung.

First, I certainly hope Brandon makes a full recovery. He is a young guy who caught a break catching on with the Redskins as an undrafted free agent. Then, he took that break and converted it into an impressive rookie year as a kick returner. He had a 96 yard kickoff return for a touchdown and had a couple other big returns as well. It would be a real shame if all that came to an abrupt end because of this incident.

I just have to ask myself what it will take to get it through the heads of some of these younger NFL players and NFL hopefuls to stay out of the nightclubs, at least after midnight. I am not saying stay home and never go out, but be reasonable. I know we would all love to go out and celebrate and be a big shot every once in a while, but you have to understand one thing if nothing else. Nothing good happens in a nightclub after 2:00AM!

Generally, a lot of what happens after about 2:00AM includes some form of drugs, DUI, prostitution, sexual assault, and a whole lot of fist, knife and gun fights. Even if you are completely innocent and are not involved in any of this, it will be all around you and you are putting yourself, your career, and ultimately your loved ones that count on you the most at risk.

I will say a prayer for Brandon, get well soon.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

2011 Redskins Offseason Overhaul

2011-02-10T14:55:00.005-05:00

And so begins another offseason overhaul for our beloved team. Like every other offseason since the Dan Snyder era began, the Redskins have a myriad of holes to fill on their team. While we would love to fill all of those holes with long-term impact players, it simply cannot be done in one offseason so we have to prioritize those needs.

Here are a few of the most pressing needs the Redskins must address this offseason if they hope to improve in the 2011 season (assuming there is one). These are not in order of importance, these are the positions that Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen simply must address and improve upon.

Quarterback - No big surprise here, we still need a QB.

First Step: Resign Rex Grossman - As painful as it may be, we should have at least 1 QB with some experience under the Shanahan's.
Top Free Agent Targets: Matt Hasselbeck (Seahawks), Matt Moore (Panthers)
Watch List: Carson Palmer (Bengals), Kyle Orton (Broncos) - Both may be released for various reasons.

Running Back - The Clinton Portis era is over. The team has too many other big holes to fill to go all out for a star RB. We should stick with the 2010 combination of Torain and Williams and let them develop. Add a little depth to round out the position.

First Step: Resign Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams; Say Goodbye to Clinton Portis
Top Free Agent Targets: Darren Sproles (Chargers) - Excellent receiving back with kick returning skills, Ronnie Brown (Dolphins)

Full Back - With a weak offensive line, the running game would greatly benefit from a dominant FB blocker who can also catch a few passes.

First Step: Say Fond Farewell to Redskins' fan favorite Mike Sellers.
Top Free Agent Targets: Le'Ron McClain (Ravens) - McClain is one of the best FB's in the league and has also played RB. He would add stability and versatility to the backfield. The Redskins should be All-In on McClain.

Wide Receiver - The annual search for a 6'0"+ WR continues. Anthony Armstrong was a great find last season and he should be rewarded for his efforts. Imagine if we did not have him and Joey Galloway and Roydell Williams played even more! In any case, with Moss and Armstrong, the team has one of the smaller WR corps yet again and we need to add a taller possession and touchdown catching receiver.

First Step: Must Resign Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong
Top Free Agent Target: Vincent Jackson (Chargers), James Jones (Packers), Chad Johnson (Bengals), Braylon Edwards (Jets), Mark Clayton (Rams)

Offensive Line - The biggest need this year along the offensive line is both the Left and Right Guard positions. An upgrade at Center would be helpful if one becomes available as Casey Rabach appears to be on the decline.

First Step: Resign Jammal Brown
Top Free Agent Targets: Logan Mankins (Patriots), Carl Nicks (Saints), Ryan Kalil (Panthers)
Update: Mankins was franchise tagged by New England. There is no chance to trade for him with our lack of draft picks.

Linebacker - The team needs to add depth to the linebacker corp and they need to add players who are already familiar with the 3-4 defense. No more converting players to new positions!

First Step: Resign Rocky McIntosh
Top Free Agent Targets: Lamar Woodley (Steelers), Tamba Hali (Chiefs), Barrett Ruud (Bucs), Paul Posluszny (Bills)
Update: Both Woodley and Hali have been franchise tagged as expected.

Cornerback - The end of another era, the disappointing Carlos Rogers era. He is not a bad corner, but he has not lived up to the First Round draft pick expectations that were expected of him to say the least. And he simply cannot make interceptions. If you cannot catch the football and make interceptions, you will never be a top CB.

First Step: Let Carlos Rogers depart as a free agent.
Top Free Agent Targets: Champ Bailey (Broncos) - A Reunion?, Johnathon Joseph (Bengals), Antonio Cromartie (Jets), Brent Grimes (Falcons), Richard Marshall (Panthers)

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

So Long Devin

2010-10-11T16:16:00.001-04:00

It is official. After not even being listed on the wide receiver depth chart for several weeks, Devin Thomas has been released by the Washington Redskins.

The Redskins have had some painfully memorable top draft pick busts in the past, such as Desmond Howard, Heath Shuler, Michael Westbrook, Patrick Ramsey, and Rod Gardner to name a few. However, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly have joined to become the team's first "pair" of busts in recent memory.

Since the Dynamic Duo were drafted in together in the second round of 2008, it has been one disappointment after another. Between showing up for training camp out of shape, showing off lackluster efforts in practice, and an inability to run routes, this duo has not only gone down as a pair of complete busts, but they have also gone down as two of the fastest busts in a long time. There are only a very special few first and second round draft picks that actually get released by their team in only their third season. Welcome to the club boys.

So long Devin. You should have stayed in school for your Senior year.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 4 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

2010-10-11T15:32:00.001-04:00

Philadelphia - Chalk up another ugly win. Ugly, may very well become the theme the Redskins 2010 season.

Early on, it looked like Michael "The Dog Beater" Vick was going to run and pass all over the Redskins. Fortunately, the Redskins caught a break when Kareem Moore and DeAngelo Hall slammed into him from both sides at the end of a 27 yard run and knocked "The Dog Beater" out of the game. If it weren't for that play, this could have been a very long day for the defense.

The Redskins managed to get their running game going early and looked fairly impressive. Clinton Portis reeled off 55 yards before having to leave the game and then Ryan Torain took over and ran for another 70 yards and a touchdown.

The most surprising aspect of this game was that Donovan McNabb only completed a mere 8 passes for 125 yards. McNabb finished the day 8/19 with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

The defense stuck with the same "Bend, but Don't Break" scheme that we have come to know and love over the last decade giving up 201 yards passing to Keving Kolb and 4 yards per carry to LeSean McCoy. Andre Carter did manage to squeeze in for his first sack of the year, but the defense again generated very little pass rush.

LeSean McCoy had the best day of anyone running for 64 yards and catching 12 passes for a whopping 110 yards.

The good news is that, in the end, the Redskins won the game. The bad news is that they did not look like they deserved to win. Even worse news is that Kevin Kolb and LeSean McCoy look like Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook from 12 years ago.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 3 vs. St. Louis Rams

2010-10-11T14:59:00.002-04:00

St. Louis - The ugliness has officially begun. If there was a list of the Redskins up and coming most hated teams, the St. Louis Rams would have to be near the top of the list. The Rams have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for several years now, just above the Detroit Lions. Yet, every time the Rams and Redskins meet, it is the Redskins that look like the weaker team.

In 2008, the Rams finished a paltry 2-14. One of those wins, as fans well remember, was a 19-17 victory over the Redskins. This was the worst loss of the year and left Redskins' fans completely deflated for the remainder of the year.

In the 2009 rematch, the Rams finished a humiliating 1-15. Yet, in week 2, it was the Redskins that barely squeaked by with the win connecting on 3 field goals in a 9-7 snorefest. Even with the win, the ugliness of the victory left fans feeling like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Back to the future in 2010 with Mike Shanahan on the sideline, the ugliness returned. The Redskins traveled to St. Louis and not only lost the game, but were soundly defeated 30-16 by a team with a rookie quarterback in his third game, below average wide receiving corp and a very average offensive line. Once again, Redskins' fans have to be held back from throwing in the towel for the entire season.

With the exception of 2 long plays, the Redskins could not run the ball at all. Donovan McNabb did manage to throw for 236 yards, but outside of Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, there was virtually no one to throw the ball to.

The defense continued the same trend putting up lackluster numbers. Brian Orakpo had one sack and continues to look like a man among boys. However, the defense as a whole is generating very little consistent pass rush. Albert Haynesworth is still a mystery lurking in the shadows on the sideline. We can only hope it gets better than this.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Wide Receivers: Santana Moss, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly and Who???

2010-08-16T12:13:00.003-04:00

So far, this has been a very productive offseason for the Redskins. They have improved several key areas of their team in a very short period of time including the coaching staff, quarterback, and the offensive and defensive lines. The only problem is that there is still a long ways to go.

One key area that has yet to be addressed is the wide receiver position. Santana Moss has been the team's staple #1 WR for several years now and he is back again this season and should be a solid contributor. However, Moss has two issues working against him. First, his best asset has always been his speed and, at age 31, that advantage is slowly becoming less and less. Second, there is still the quietly looming HGH scandal that he is involved in. While other star athletes in and outside of the NFL have been thrust into the lime light and made spectacles of for steroid use, the HGH scandal involving Santana Moss has been uncharacteristically quiet. Despite a lack of publicity, Moss may be facing a significant suspension from the NFL if the looming investigation turns up evidence against him.

The best case scenario for Redskins' fans is that Moss is cleared in the investigation and lines up to start the season as their starting #1 WR. The worst case scenario is that Moss is suspended for 4 games (or more) and the Redskins' starting WR's are Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. Thomas and Kelly have been disappointing to say the least in their first two seasons with the team. Although, when the Thomas was drafted in 2008, he was thought to be a raw talent and would take some time to develop, so he does still appear to have some upside still.

Malcolm Kelly, on the other hand, was supposed to be "NFL ready" when he was drafted. Of course, as fans know, Kelly showed up for his first training camp out of shape, got hurt, and hardly played at all in his first season. Kelly then came out in his second season as the starting #2 WR and proceeded to lose that job after mustering only 7 catches in his first 6 games. Now, Kelly is again hurt with a bad hamstring, is missing badly needed offseason work, and the rumors of him actually being released by the team are beginning to circulate.

Needless to say, Thomas and Kelly would be a less than ideal 1-2 punch at the WR position. And who knows what would happen if Kelly is still hurt or released and cannot even play. So what else has the team done to add depth and help solidify the WR position?

The Redskins signed Bobby Wade who is a quality veteran probably best suited as a #4 or #5 wideout at this point in his career. The 33 year old Mike Furrey was a good special teams signing who can help out in a pinch at WR or even on defense in the secondary. The team also signed the 38 year old veteran, Joey Galloway, who caught 7 passses last season and only 13 in 2008 and is hopefully only being used to mentor the team's younger WR's during training camp. They also signed Roydell Williams who has not played in the NFL since 2007 and, again, is hopefully just filling in as a warm body in practice. Top the list off with a few unproven undrafted rookies and there you have the entire Redskins' WR core. Not exactly what we were hoping for.

As painful a pill as it may have been to swallow, the Redskins should have signed WR Terrell Owens. Yes, he has been a great deal more trouble than he was worth in the past. Yes, he did also once play for "Team Evil" in Dallas. Yes, he is getting older, a little slower and he does drop some passes. With all of that said, he still would have provided an actual threat down the field. He also appeared to mellow a bit last season after perhaps being humbled a bit on a poor team with the Buffalo Bills. Bills' WR James Hardy shared how Owens took him "under his wing" and helped teach him how to prepare for the season and for games. If he did this for Hardy, couldn't he have done it with Thomas and Kelly?

While it may have seemed impossible a few years, it is possible that Owens has matured a bit and could actually be a positive asset to a team now. Now, of course, it is too late as T.O. has already signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for a mere one year $2 million contract.

Lately, there are rumors of the Redskins possibly trading for disgruntled Chargers' WR Vincent Jackson, but do not hold your breath. Jackson is probably not worth the money he will demand and he is already showing now what type of distraction he can be to a team. Plus, if the Redskins trade anymore draft picks, they may not even be invited to attend next year's college draft because they will not be involved in it.

With all that said, the Redskins need help at the WR position and they need help pretty badly. Unfortunately, that situation will probably not be addressed until next offseason. For now, thank goodness for the team's outstanding TE combination of Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. Without them, Donovan McNabb might be in for a very long season.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Offensive Line, From Weakness to Strength?

2010-07-06T14:13:00.001-04:00

After finally adding a badly needed top tier offensive tackle via the college draft, the Redskins added another Pro-Bowl caliber offensive tackle in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. Jammal Brown may not be a household name just yet, but he is an excellent player and a major upgrade for the Redskins. Or, at least, we hope so.

Jammal Brown played left tackle for the Saints and played it at a very high level. However, the Redskins seem intent on playing their top draft pick, Trent Williams, in that spot so Brown will need to adjust to life on the right side of the line. Given that Brown missed all of last season with hip and sports hernia injuries, he may very well be a little rusty and step slow in the early part of the season so playing on the right side against second tier defensive ends could be a blessing for him until he gets up to full speed.

On the other hand, if Trent Williams struggles mightily or, God forbid, gets injured, at least the Redskins have someone who can naturally slide in at left tackle and take over. On paper, these two key pieces make the Redskins' offensive line as a whole look much improved over last year's squad.

Adding Artis Hicks from the Minnesota Vikings could also prove to be a very valuable pickup. While Hicks is not a dominator by any means, he played both guard and right tackle with the Vikings. With Stephen Heyer, the teams starting right tackle the last two years, also returning, the Redskins seem to have one thing they have not had in a very long time on the offensive line, flexibility.

Of course, this is only on paper. All it takes is one recurring injury to Jammal Brown and one rookie, Trent Williams, to struggle and Donovan McNabb could be in for a long, long season. For now, though, there is hope and reason to be optimistic.

After watching the annual 'Daniel Snyder Offseason Freak Show' for the last 10 years, this already has to be considered one of the best offseasons the Redskins have had in a very long time. But, there are still several areas where the team must improve if they hope to contend for the playoffs. Next up, how to continue improving the team...

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

New Regime, Same Boom or Bust Draft

2010-05-27T16:22:00.001-04:00

While Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan instill a lot more confidence in Redskins fans than the previous regime, fans can't help but notice that the 2010 NFL draft process seemed all to familiar. The Redskins had very few picks yet again in this year's draft, only one of which was in the first 3 rounds.

The new braintrust of the team selected a left tackle, which the team does desperately need. They get high marks for that. However, it was the left tackle they selected that will make fans nervous.

Russell Okung was tabbed the best left tackle in the draft by many analysts. Trent Williams was also ranked very highly. Several "experts" even proclaimed that Williams has more upside and "could" become the better NFL player. Unfortunately, Williams also appears to have more downside. Anytime a college weight trainer makes a public statement questioning a player's desire or dedication the weight room, a big wavy red flag goes flying through the air. Now, Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan are now responsible for rolling up that red flag and putting it into storage where it belongs.

If anyone can motivate Williams and transform him into a Pro Bowl caliber left tackle, it is probably Mike Shanahan. So will he? Only time will tell. Williams could become the cornerstone of the team's offense for the next 10 years or he could become an inconsistent up and down player that gets moved to right tackle and/or guard. Check back in 3-4 years to find out.

Then, just because Redskins fans need all the good news and hipe they can get, the team landed a seventh round steal in Selvish Capers! Honestly, does anyone believe there is such a thing as a seventh round steal? Does anyone think that every pro scout in the NFL missed this guy?

Several "Monday Morning Quarterbacks" came out after the draft had concluded calling Capers a seventh round steal saying he could have been a third or fourth round pick. I am not trying to knock the poor guy, but he is a seventh round developmental pick, nothing more, nothing less. Considering the Redskins' offensive line needs all the help it can get, he has a shot to make the team and contribute.

Player Watch
- Keep an eye on the situation in New England with Patriots guard, Logan Mankins. He is not signing his restricted free agent deal and is skipping OTA's. He wants a long-term deal and if he skips their mandatory camp June 15-17, it could get interesting. While the chances of Mankins being released may be small, he is someone that should become an immediate target if he became available.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Hello Coach Shanahan, Good Bye to Many

2010-01-13T11:18:00.003-05:00

Welcome aboard coach Mike Shanahan. Redskins' fans can breath a sigh of relief now that Daniel Snyder has assembled our new management team quickly while the NFL playoffs have only just begun. This will give Bruce Allen, Mike Shanahan and newly hired defensive coordinator, Jim Haslett, a full offseason to evaluate the team's current players and begin moves and preparing for the draft. What may be even more important is the fact that "Danny Boy' hired this staff the right way this time starting with the GM, then the Head Coach and then the offensive and defensive coordinators. Perhaps, Danny learned from his last mistake two years ago with Jim Zorn and company.

Our fans have known all season that big changes were coming and they are finally here. As exciting as it may be, it is still difficult to say goodbye to some familiar faces. Some players are sure to be gone soon including Philip Daniels, Randy Thomas, Renaldo Wynn. Chris Samuels may and should retire after his neck injury this season.

Other players that will most likely be gone are Fred Smoot, Mike Sellers and Rock Cartwright. Then, there is the "on the bubble" list. This list, of course, includes Jason Campbell, Carlos Rogers, London Fletcher and Antwaan Randle El.

If he Redskins had extra draft picks, that would make the decision much easier for some of these players. However, the Redskins are left with only 5 draft picks for April. All season long, popular opinion has been that the Redskins will dump Jason Campbell and select a QB in the first round of the draft. However, do not be surprised if Campbell stays with the team for one more year. With so many needs along the offensive line and other areas, the Redskins to choose to select an offensive tackle with their first pick or they could very well try to trade down in the first round to get extra picks. The team needs not only quality, but quantity as well.

For now, the team is off to a good start with its new management team in place. Much of what happens in the draft will depend on what happens with the collective bargaining agreement and free agency. Keep your fingers crossed.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 17 vs. San Diego Chargers

2010-01-05T10:44:00.006-05:00

San Diego - The 2009-10 NFL season came to a merciful end for Redskins' fans and ended in a fitting manner. The season finale with the San Diego Chargers was a virtually meaningless game as the outcome did not effect either team. With a win or a loss, the Chargers are going into the thick of playoff battle and Redskins' coaches, players and fans are going home again trying to forget about the last 4 months of their respective lives.

The Chargers are clearly a better team than the Redskins. Their offensive unit, led by perennial Pro Bowl QB Philip Rivers, are in a completely different league compared to their counterparts in burgundy and gold and it showed when the game began.

Rivers only played for the first two possessions in the first quarter and wasted no time throwing for 99 yards and giving his team a 10-o lead before being replaced by backup QB Billy Volek. Volek continued the push and gave the Chargers a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter.

As the Chargers' second and third stringers quickly began coming into the game, Jason Campbell was able to gain some brief momentum in the second quarter and he connected with two the team's top touchdown specialists, TE Todd Yoder and FB Mike Sellers. As usual, though, it was not enough. The Redskins mustered only two field goals in the second half and gave up a late touchdown with only 35 seconds left to Billy Volek and company that gave the Chargers the win.

Jason Campbell finished the day with good numbers, at least, on the surface. He finished 28/42 for 281 yards, 2 TD's and 0 INT's. However, he did not move the ball at all against San Diego's starting unit. As he has done all season and career long, Campbell racked up his numbers either against second and third units or at the end of the game playing against prevent defenses. Even against San Diego's backups, Campbell still only manager a 6.7 yard per catch average.

The Redskins running game was virtually non-existent as it has been all season. Starting RB Quinton Ganther managed a mere 27 yards on 12 carries. Surprisingly, Jason Campbell was only sacked one time. On the receiving side, WR Malcolm Kelly had a personal record 84 yard catch. On the downside, how many WR's have you seen make an 84 yard catch and still do not score a touchdown? Besides the record catch, Kelly had an uninspiring 4 catches for 25 yards.

It was nice to see long-time Redskins favorite FB Mike Sellers end the season and possibly his career with a touchdown catch. Sellers will be 35 next season and the Redskins already have rookie FB Eddie Williams that they drafted in 2009. Williams spent much of the year on IR so it is still possible that Sellers could make a return for one final run with the team. Iron Mike has a total of 46 rushes, 102 receptions and an impressive 21 touchdowns in his 10 year career. If this is the end of his career, Mike will be truly missed by hard core Redskins fans.

A bright spot for the Redskins was the kicking game. PK Graham Gano was 2 for 2 kicking field goals. Albeit, his long for the day was only 25 yards, but that is besides the point. The Scotland born, Gano, was signed late in the season and finished 4 for 4 with the team. Now, the Redskins need to lock him up for the 2010 season. Gano had an impressive training camp with the Baltimore Ravens before being let go at the team's final cuts. Besides, every NFL team should to have at least one Scott or one Irishman on it. Between, PK Graham Gano and P Hunter Smith, this would be one important box already checked off on the Redskins' offseason to do list.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 16 vs. Dallas Cowboys

2009-12-29T10:17:00.005-05:00

Washington - After 3 straight surprising outings by the Redskins scoring 24, 30 and 34 points against the Eagles, Saints and Raiders, the Redskins have quickly come back down to Earth and are finishing the season the same way they started off. For the second straight week, the Redskins offense was utterly dismantled.

This week's game against the Cowboys looked more like a fathers vs. sons game at summer camp. The offensive line once again was flat out run over by the Cowboys defensive and Jason Campbell rarely had time to turn from his left to the right before getting hit by someone.

The running game fittingly looked like they had a third and fourth running back carrying the ball. Even after newcomer, Quinton Ganther, only mustered 13 yards on 7 carries, many are calling him the starter at RB for the Redskins in 2010. Good lord.

Even while mounting losses, the Redskins were at least beginning to manage some positive feedback for their offensive output since Sherman Lewis joined the club. However, the last two weeks against the Giants and Cowboys have put an abrupt end to that sentiment. At least the Cowboys only scored 17 points. The loss to the Giants was one of the most embarrassing losses I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few now. The San Diego Chargers are already in the playoffs and are one of the hottest teams in the league now and they will most likely continue the trend of the last two weeks and end the Redskins season with a third straight thud.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 10 vs. Dallas Cowboys

2009-11-25T10:41:00.005-05:00

Dallas - After pulling off an upset win against the Denver Broncos, the Redskins almost pulled out another one of their patented ugly wins. Almost. For Redskins fans already planning for the 2010 season, it was a relief when the Cowboys scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to take the lead and ultimately the game.

The Redskins' disappointing season is figuratively over. There will be no playoffs or big second half of the season run for this squad. The team will simply play out their remaining schedule for pride and some players and coaches will use the remaining games an audition for next season's team. Instead, the Redskins are now in a heated battle with some of the NFL's elite basement dwellers for prime draft pick position. Right now, the Redskins are slotted to pick at #9. An upset victory over the Cowboys this past week, while it always feels good to stick it to the Cowboys, would have put the team in a much weaker position for drafting a top QB next April.

There are already several teams currently ahead of them including the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams, who both need QB's. The Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks are the second wave of teams that could also draft QB's in the first round. The competition is stifling. While this is a deep draft for QB's, the Redskins naturally want to be able to pick the QB they want as opposed to whoever falls to them in the draft.

Sam Bradford's name has been linked to the Redskins for some time and his name has quietly faded. Lately, the hot name is Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen who is a junior and will most likely enter the draft early. The Redskins would also consider Washington QB Jake Locker and Texas QB Colt McCoy.

Despite the Redskins solid defensive play, the team probably has too many injuries on offense to muster many upsets late this season. After losing the likes of Chris Cooley, Chris Samuels, Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Chad Rinehart and Randy Thomas for all or most of the remaining season looks bleak. With the loss of star TE Chris Cooley, fans have at least begun to see some contribution frolm second year TE Fred Davis. It would be nice to see the team end teh season on an up note by getting WR Devin Thomas and WR Malcolm Kelly involved as well. Kelly, who began the season as the team's #2 starting WR has been an overwhelming disappointment and has a mere 10 catches on the year. As a comparision, FB Mike Sellers has 11 catches on the year. Perhpas he could start at WR next year.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Dan Snyder Running Off Coaches

2009-11-02T09:40:00.005-05:00

Little Danny's 'yes-man', Vinny Cerato, continues to make a fool out of himself speaking to the media. While a few Redskins' players have come out and asked management to announce that Jim Zorn would not be fired during the season, Vinny decided to take it a step further and announce that Zorn will be coaching "the rest of this season and hopefully into the future". Of course, as Redskins fans know, this is Snyder code for "Mike Shanahan turned down the job".

One thing is for certain. If Jim Zorn is the head coach of the Washington Redskins for the 2010 season, it is strictly because no one else would agree to work with Daniel Snyder and Vinny Cerato.

The media has talked often about the Redskins hiring one of the 'big name' coaches that will be available for the 2010 season including the likes of Bill Cowher, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and John Gruden, but let's be realistic. None of these coaches need money. They have each already made a ton of cash in their career's and Gruden is still being paid by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you don't need money, why else would you agree to work 'with' or 'for' (you choose) Daniel Snyder? These coaches have major accomplishments under their belts and it would be highly unlikely they would be willing to sit down and be told what to do by Snyder. These type of coaches are going to want control, and a lot of it, over their new team.

Aside from money and power, the Redskins are not close to being a contending team. At this point, they are a borderline rebuilding project, which will probably take at least 3 years to turn around and have a legitimate shot at contending, if things go well. Let's look at the ages of these big name coaches: Holmgren, 61; Shanahan, 57; Cowher, 52; Gruden, 46.

If Mike Holmgren and Mike Shanahan come back to coach, they will probably want to join a team they think is close to winning now and already has a proven QB. It is hard to see either of these two men coaching more than five years and with a rebuilding project like the Redskins that would be a tough sell. Albeit 5 years in Dan Snyder's world is like 27 years for the rest of us, but I digress.

Mike Holmgren will most likely stay with Seattle in some capacity. Mike Shanahan is most likely the top candidate for the Cowboys and the Cowboys are closer to winning. If you had to pick between working for Dan Snyder or Jerry Jones, who would you pick? Jerry Jones wins.

The best thing Dan Snyder could do right now is offer Bill Cowher an unheard of 10 year contract with full control of the team. Cowher would give the Redskins something they haven't had for the last decade, consistency. A 10 year deal with Cowher would put this franchise back on the NFL map in a huge way. His experience, football knowledge, player relationships and everything else he brings to the table would instantly make the Redskins a better team. And with 10 years at the helm, he could restore order to this once proud franchise and put them back on the right path for years to come. One big problem here is that no one is sure if Cowher is ready or willing to leave the broadcast booth and go back to coaching. If he is ready, the Redskins should go all in and give him anything and everything he asks for.

With all that said, Redskins' fans who were paying attention to the commentary during last Monday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, couldn't help but notice how politically correct and positive John Gruden sounded while calling the game. He made more positive comments about the team in the first half than anyone else has all season.

Gruden is the most likely of the 'big name' coaches who would be willing to work with Snyder because he is the youngest and still has the most to prove. While Gruden did win a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in his first season with the team, many say it was only because the team was already a powerhouse that was built before he got there. After his first season in Tampa, the team steadily declined each year. With that said, Gruden would be a step in the right direction for the Redskins after what the team and, more importantly, the team's fans have endured over the last decade. He has experience, he has a style and he has an attitude. All of those, the Redskins currently lack.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

2009-10-27T11:16:00.004-04:00

In week 7, the Redskins once again performed as expected. After facing one horrible winless team another, week after week, the Redskins finally played against a potential playoff team and it showed.

The defense performed reasonably well for most of the game. The defensive line was able to generate at least some pressure on Donovan McNabb and they did total 3 sacks. This isn't a staggering number, but compared to the last few seasons, 3 sacks is a single game is a major accomplishment for this squad. Albert Haynesworth is the big reason why the team has been able to at least generate some assemblance of a pass rush this season and has helped open opportunities for DE Andre Carter. Haynesworth has played very hard this year and should be given a lot of credit for his effort. Had Brian Orakpo been playing full-time at DE opposite Carter, where he is supposed to be playing, who knows what kind of pressure the team could be generating.

With Sean Springs gone, one of the team's holes continues to be at cornerback. Carlos Rogers just looked bad against Eagles' WR DeSean Jackson. Carlos is now 28 years old and has been a border line player since the team drafted him in the first round of the 2005 draft. At this point, Carlos isn't considered a bust, but he has been a major disappointment. When he is not hurt, he plays inconsistently. From a fans perspective, it looks like Carlos' problem is a lack of concentration and desire. He has shown flashes of being a great CB, but they are few and far between. When he is playing well, he does not have good hands at all and averages only 1 interception per year.

Aside from one 45 yard drive in the second quarter, the offense looked bad again. Jason Campbell was sacked 6 times, threw one interception and also had a fumble. Thanks to his patented late game touchdown against the prevent defense, Campbell was able to raise his QB rating to 91.5. The fumbled snap by Casey Rabach was just plain embarassing. As a whole, the offense looked like a legitimate college team.

The offensive line continues to provide gaping hole after gaping hole. Unfortunately, the gaping holes are for the defense to run through. Jason Campbell just looks completely overwhelmed by the pro game. He looks scared when he steps back in the pocket and he seems to panic while going through his reads. Unless he sees the perfect defense, it is almost as if he just glances at the wide receivers for show without even really considering them and just solely looks to dump the ball off to the TE as much as possible.

On that note, it was nice to see that TE Fred Davis has finally moved ahead of Todd Yoder on the depth chart. Losing Chris Cooley to injury is probably the worst injury this team could have, but at least we finally got to see one of the 3 big 2008 second round draft picks get on the field and be active in a game.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Great Day to be a Redskins Fan!

2009-10-23T10:00:00.010-04:00

It's a great day to be a Redskins fan! That's right, it's a great day!

Do you know why it is a great day? Today is a great day because after years and years of slowing slipping further and further into the abyss, the Redskins have finally hit rock bottom.

This is it. This is what it feels like to look down and finally not be able to see any further. We are finally on the official bottom of the NFL.

Don't believe me? Look

Our contract year QB has fallen flat on his face and cannot get the ball to anyone not named Cooley or Moss.
Our 2008 second round triplets Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis have been a complete bust.
Our best offensive lineman, Chris Samuels, is done for the year and probably for his career.
We have an undrafted college free agent playing LT and a former first round bust, who hasn't even played football in years, starting at RT. Not to mention, no one even knows the guy playing Center anymore.
We have played 3 of the 4 worst teams in the NFL this year, and only managed to beat one of them (St. Louis Rams) 9-7. If only we played the Browns this year, we could have had the Superfecta(horse racing).
And then there is our fearless leader, the Zorninator. Jim is clearly a very nice guy, but he is also clearly out of his league. He simply does not know what he is doing.
Did I mention we just hired a 67 year old Bingo caller to pick offensive plays for us.
Even the #1 rated college QB Sam Bradford, who the Redskins would clearly target with their top pick in the 2010 draft, got hurt and is done for the year.

It simply cannot get any worse from here on out. Even if we lose every remaining game, it cannot get worse. We have hit rock bottom and it is now time to start over completely from scratch. As of next season, we have no coach, no QB, no offensive line, and aging players all the field.

The rest of this season will still be tough to swallow especially as our team gets steamrolled by the rival Cowboys and Eagles this week. At least we know, we have only one way to go from here, UP ↑

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 6 vs. Kansas City Chiefs

2009-10-20T11:29:00.006-04:00

Ah, just another week in Redskins land. In week 3, the Redskins lost to the worst team in the NFL, the Detroit Lions. In week 6, the team put another notch in their belt by losing, in horrid fashion, to the third worst team in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs. The only good thing about this game was that the Redskins played at home so that the fans could tell the players, coaches, Vinny Cerrato and Little Danny Snyder loud and clear how they felt about their team.

The only bright spot on the Redskins' offense statistics was the fact that Clinton Portis broke the 100 yard mark for the first time this season finishing with 109 yards. Of course, that is only because he happened to break one long run of 79 yards. Aside from that one play, he mustered only 14 carries for 29 yards the rest of the game, and that is against the worst defense in football.

Chris Cooley somehow continues to be the team's best option as a receiver despite teams focussing coverage on him. Santana Moss only managed one catch matching the output of the team's young trio of Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis.

Jason Campbell was finally benched at halftime in this game after being thoroughly ineffective again. The benching was a long time coming. Unfortunately, Todd Collins is just no longer the same player he used to be and he is no longer a viable option at QB. Barring injury, Campbell will most likely remain the starter for the remainder of the season.

This game andthis season in general would have been the perfect opportunity for second year QB Colt Brennan to play and show off his abilities had he not been hurt and placed on IR in the preseason. He probably would have been able to play a significant amount of time in the second half of this season. And even while losing game after game, fans would have at least been able to justify it by saying we are breaking in a young QB.

At least the defense kept the Chiefs out of the end zone and forced them to kick field goals. It was also nice to see the defensive line pad their stats a little with 5 sacks in the game. As Redskins fans can attest to, a 5 sack game only comes around about every 2 years or so.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 3 vs. Detroit Lions

2009-09-28T10:48:00.009-04:00

Honestly, what Redskins fan didn't see this horror show coming?

The Detroit Lions are an average offensive team that, at least, does have some young potential with young QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Jones. Remember, like I mentioned at the end of last season, the 2008 0-16 Detroit Lions offense outscored the Redskins offense. The Lions' offense also outscored the Redskins' offense in the first two games of this season with a rookie QB at the helm so this game really should have been expected. It's Detroit's defense that has always been a mess and caused them to lose game after game, year after year.

On the Redskins side, the offense is far below average and the young potential they thought they had in WR Malcolm Kelly, WR Devin Thomas, and TE Fred Davis is fading fast. The team's defense has overachieved the last few seasons and has kept the team in the wild card chase, but time has finally caught up to them this season. They just have too many holes in the front seven to be a strong defense anymore.

Cornerstones of the defense like Cornelius Griffin, Philip Daniels have faded and should no longer be starting. Even Andre Carter at age 30 seems to be closer to retirement these days and arguably their most valuable player, London Fletcher, is 34 years old now so who knows how long he will hold up. The offensive line is in no better shape with aging and injury-prone veteran players like Randy Thomas, Casey Rabach and Chris Samuels.

So far, this season appears to have about a 4-12 record in store for us so sit back and relax, try to be patient for one more season, and enjoy the baseball playoffs as long as possible. At least, we can take solace in the fact that we know the major overhaul is coming at the end of this season.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 1 vs. New York Giants

2009-09-15T10:26:00.006-04:00

New York - Well, Jim Zorn and company picked up right where they left off last season. The first game of the 2009 season featured the same old lackluster offense that Redskins' fans have come to know so well over the last decade combined with an average defense that cannot put pressure on the opponents quarterback.

On offense, the offensive line could not get the running game going. Clinton Portis managed only 62 total yards, including a 34 yard run. Minus his one long run, Portis ran 15 times for a measly 28 yards. Those are the kinds of numbers you would expect to see for the Cincinnati Bengals or Detroit Lions, but not the Redskins and not Clinton Portis. Granted, the Giants do have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Still, the team must be able to put up at least 80 yards a game against tough defenses in order to have a chance to win.

Of course, the team added their patented end of the game touchdown against the Giants' "prevent defense" to make the game look closer than what it really was. This game was just ugly and was a sad preview for what the 2009 season holds for Hogs fans everywhere. This could easily be a 5-11 team waiting to happen.

The defense looked mediocre overall. Albert Haynesworth did look good and the squad did manage one sack, which is sadly an accomplishment for this team. DeAngelo Hall did also chip in with an interception. While there were glimpses of a solid defense, they just could not get to Eli Manning and create any consistent pressure. The offense could not stay on the field and the Redskins defensive unit simply wore down in the second half and could not stop the run.

So what can be done to salvage this flat out ugly looking season? On offense, not much at all. The quarterback, wide receivers and offensive lineman are entrenched for the season. Hopefully, we can get to see one or two of the few young guys (see: Chad Rinehart) play and find out if they have any legitimate starting potential. We can only hope that the offensive line plays better and Jason Campbell follows suit. The offensive line is aging and injury prone. If they do manage to stay healthy, they have the ability to play at least a little better than they did against the Giants.

One move the team should make is moving Brian Orakpo to the defensive line full-time. Phillip Daniels is a nice veteran team guy to have on the roster, but he is a role player at best now and should not be starting. The team should do what they should have done in the offseason and sign a free agent strongside linebacker to fill Orakpo's spot and more him to defensive end. At least, Orakpo would get to hone his pass rush skills and the team could creat some havoc in the opponents backfield. That would give the team a better chance for turnovers and sacks and make it more fun for us fans to watch. The idea of moving Orakpo to part-time linebacker was dumb to begin with and the decision to move backup DE Chris Wilson to backup SLB behind Orakpo was even worse. Honestly, who else does this in the NFL?

Aside from that, here are the next big headlines Redskins' fans have to look forward to:

1) February 2010: ESPN reports that Vinny Cerato and Jim Zorn have been fired by the Washington Redskins.

2) March 2010: "The Redskins have agreed to terms with head coach ... on a five year contract worth $6 million per year."

3) April 2010: "With the sixth pick in the NFL draft, the Washington Redskins select quarterback...".

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Do Not Sign Michael Vick

2009-08-13T11:13:00.006-04:00

Despite recent reports that the Redskins have officially removed themselves from the Michael Vick sweepstakes, you never know what is really floating around in that little peanut shell sitting on Daniel Snyder's shoulders. So, for Danny's sake, let's be clear. Do not sign Michael Vick! He is the last thing this team needs.

There is no denying that Vick is, or at least was, a great athlete. However, he is not, and was not, a great quarterback. He was not a great quarterback 2 years ago when he was still playing regularly for the Falcons and he definitely will not be a great quarterback now after playing catch with inmates for the last 2 years in prison.

The best case scenario for Vick is that he signs with a team that already has a starting quarterback, he gets into playing shape and is allowed to actually begin playing somewhere around mid-season. If his team has a creative offensive play caller, he might be able to get him involved in a few trick plays here and there and maybe by the end of the season, they figure out a way to utilize his running skills for 10 plays a game. Supposing Vick does get back into good shape and shows some positive signs, any significant or regular contribution will not come until next year.

Vick's agent, Joel Segal, found in the Sports Agent Directory, states Vick will sign with a team soon. If he does sign, please let that be the end of this seemingly never ending storyline. Honestly, the whole Vick saga has been just as nauseating as the whole Brett Favre saga was earlier this preseason. Can't the media find something else to focus on for a day or two. If you look at the ESPN NFL Rumors web page, "These teams now interested in M. Vick..." has been in the top 3 rumors for a month now. Give it a rest!

For better or worse, the Redskins are already set at quarterback for 2009. Jason Campbell will most likely have a decent season and keep the job, but overall, the offense will struggle again. If he does not play well, the Redskins have a choice to make. They can turn it over to Todd Collins and simply ride out the rest of the season and wait for the offseason to make one of Dan Snyder's infamous splashes at quarterback. Or, they can turn it over to the young gun, Colt Brennan, and see if he has a legitimate future in the NFL. Brennan could be a sleeper for the Redskins, but only time will time how much progress he makes.

Either way, odds are this season will probably be a bust for the quarterback position on the Redskins. 2009 will most likely be Jason Campbell's farewell tour to Redskins' fans and he will most likely be gone after this season. Todd Collins is nearing the end of the road for his NFL career so the Redskins will undoubtedly make a move through free agency or the draft next offseason. Of course, a breakout season by Campbell could change all of this, but for now, we can only hope.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Jeremy Jarmon Selected in Third Round of NFL Supplemental Draft

2009-07-28T09:01:00.007-04:00

Fresh off the 2009 NFL draft, the Redskins went ahead and began their 2010 draft early by selecting Jeremy Jarmon in the third round of the supplemental draft. Jarmon is a big boy at 6-3 and 277 pounds. He played defensive end at Kentucky for three years and he will play on the left side behind Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn.

Jarmon will be a project for this year and probably will see most of his playing time on special teams. He is only 21 years old so he is still a little raw and reportedly needs to get significantly stronger in order to hold up against NFL pros. The good news is that he will spend all year with Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn who are consummate professionals and should be excellent mentors for him.

This was a good move for the Redskins. The team could not make it through a full season with only Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn. Both players are past their prime and Daniels missed all of last season due to injury. Selecting a young defensive end with good long-term potential is a better option than signing an older veteran stop gap for one year or during midseason. Vinny Cerato believes Jarmon was projected to be a second round pick in 2010, which of course means he would have actually been a third round pick. Nevertheless, several teams had placed fourth round claims on Jarmon in the supplemental draft so he was a wanted player. Had the Redskins not used their third round pick on him, they would have lost him to another team in the fourth round.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

2009 Roster Moves - What's Left To Do?

2009-06-19T09:46:00.005-04:00

It has been another interesting and over-spending offseason for the Redskins. So let's sort things out, review what we have and see what left for the team to do before we begin the 2009-10 campaign.

The Good

Adding Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo obviously provides a badly needed upgrade for the defensive line. Signing Renaldo Wynn was a solid move to add much needed depth. He is a good character guy with a solid work ethic who will help Brian Orakpo develop.
Resigning DeAngelo Hall was a must or the secondary would have been a complete mess. Shawn Springs was a great player, but really only played part-time due to his various injuries. Hopefully, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot can combine for a complete season on the other side despite their inevitable injuries.
Bringing back Derrick Dockery was a great move. After getting lulled to sleep in Buffalo, hopefully, Derrick will be reinvigerated returning back to DC. Signing OT/G Jeremy Bridges also adds some much needed depth to the offensive line. He has started at OT, but many think he is a better fit at G. Either way, it is great to have a quality player that can play both spots when needed. As for Mike Wiliams, why not? We took a longshot on DE Erasmus James. This year it's Williams. It doesn't hurt to try. Okay, some times it does.

Altogether, the Redskins were very lucky. DeAngelo Hall and Derick Dockery, especially Hall, were both suprising cuts for their previous teams. Without these two players, the Redskins would have some more very big holes to fill.

The Bad

Drafting DE Brian Orakpo and suddenly teaching him to play Strongside LB for the first time is utterly rediculous. It is hard enough for a rookie player to come in and make an impact at one position. Naturally, Snyder Inc. want him to play two positions part-time. This is no disrespect to Brian, but he will spend the entire season trying to figure out whether or not he is in the right spot on the field rather than letting his insticts take over at his natural position. Instead of being an explosive player at his DE, he will be be all over the field, frequently behind plays trying to catch up and it will cause him to lose focus when he does play DE.
This whole scenario reeks of Lavar Arrington. Lavar had the potential to be one of the best and most feared LB's in the league and Dan Snyder personally ruined his career by hiring new coaches and implementing new defensive systems year after year. Lavar was never used properly and obviously never fulfilled his great potential.
OT is still not a good situation. We are one injury away from a disasterous season. If the Redskins lose Chris Samuels to injury, the running game and the Redskins offense will go nowhere. Somehow, someway, we need to find another reliable backup.

So What's Left To Do?

With our annual lack of draft picks and Dan Snyder's "spend all our money on one player" approach to free agency, it was obvious that we were going to be shorthanded at either Defensive Line or at Linebacker for the 2009-10 season. At least now we know the answer is Linebacker.

At this point, there are no more "big splashes" to be made. There are no more elite free agents or big name available via trade. Instead, we need to take a play out of the Patriots book and find that proverbial diamond in the rough. We need to sign a quality veteran for a minimal salary that fits our exact need. When the Redskins hopefully finish experiementing with H.B. Blades, Robert Thomas, and Chris Wilson, there are a few players to watch. Here is one of the more intriguing players to think about.

Travis Laboy - IF , that is a big IF, he is healthy, Travis would be an ideal fit. He played DE alongside Albert Haynesworth in Tenessee and played Strongside LB for Arizona last season. His problem has long been his health. He is not big or strong enough to hold up at DE and getting beat up by much bigger OT's has taken a toll on him. He could still be a good spot rusher for passing downs and a fill in at SLB. If he is healthy, he would be definitely be worth bringing in to look at.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Redskins 2009 Post-Draft Analysis

2009-05-05T13:55:00.007-04:00

Thank you New York Jets!, Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for moving up in the draft to select Mark Sanchez so that we could actually use our few draft picks to select players we need, rather than the ones our owner Daniel Snyder lusts after.

Sure, I would have loved to have Mark Sanchez on our team, but had we traded the players or draft picks necessary to move up to draft him, boy would we have been bad this season. By sticking with our few draft picks and selecting players that will fill very real needs on our team, we have a much better chance of winning this year.

BRIAN ORAKPO is obviously a great talent and an enormous boost to our defense. However, there is one mild concern. We desperately need Brian at DE and there are already rumors circulating that he may be playing SLB for us. We have great potential to use Brian as a flex player playing mainly DE and occasionally SLB, but we need him much more at DE. Either way, getting him on the field is a big upgrade. Philip Daniels will be a great mentor for him this year, not to mention Renaldo Wynn.

KEVIN BARNES has potential to be a starting CB for the team and with oft-injured Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot manning the position, we need as many bodies as possible. However, it is disappointing that we did not use this pick to draft a second DE, SLB or OT. If the team expects Brian Orakpo to play SLB, they should have selected another DE to sure up the front seven on defence. Likewise, if he does play DE, they should have drafted some badly needed depth at SLB or at least at OT.

The CODY GLENN and ROBERT HENSON picks in the 5th and 6th rounds were wasted picks. Cody Glenn may have some potential upside because he only played OLB for one year at Nebraska and may develop. With that said, has anyone ever said the words "Daniel Snyder" and "player development" in the same sentence before? There were better options available at LB and OG/OT available.

EDDIE WILLIAMS is a decent pick and a guy who could fill a need as a pass catching FB, but again, this is not a big need for us. Anyone who loves the Redskins, loves FB Mike Sellers. Truth be told, he is probably due for some competition this offseason. May the best man win.

MARKO MITCHELL is a darkhorse WR and was a good final draft pick for us. He is a big target at 6'3" and he should send a clear message to WR Malcolm Kelly, who appears to be unable to get out of the trainers office and on to the field for the second straight season since being drafted. Malcolm better find a way to get healthy and on the field fast or Marko could be moving into his locker in a couple months from now.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Redskins 2009 Pre-Draft Analysis

2009-04-23T09:09:00.008-04:00

It's time to start holding our collective breath again while the dynamic duo decide how to make a mess of our upcoming draft.

What will Danny and Vinny do?

Scenario #1 - QB Mark Sanchez falls to #8 and the Redskins trade up with Jacksonville to pick Sanchez. Since Danny boy needs to be over the top with everything, Lord only knows what they would give up to move up for the pick. After watching Danny for what seems like an eternity, my guess would be our first and third round picks this year and probably a second round pick next year.

Result - We get yet another QB of the future and he sits on the bench for a year do nothing and watches Jason Campbell run our pop-warnerish looking offense that to average 10 points per game for yet anther year. Meanwhile, our defense is absolutely run over because we have second stringers and retirees playing linebacker and defensive end. Of course, every game teams gang up on new high priced DT Albert Haynesworth and he gets injured mid-season and needs major surgery that will sideline him for a year and he is never the same player again.

Scenario #2 - QB Mark Sanchez gets picked early by another team so we don't have to worry about moving to pick him. Instead, we simply stay at pick # 13 and select either DE Aaron Maybin or DE Robert Ayers depending who is available and then we wait until the third round.

Result - We only get help at one position in the first two rounds, but boy do we need it. We could go for a SLB, but at least H.B. Blades(the most likely starter right now) is young. There is just no way the old and injury prone Philip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn can hold up for a whole season at DE. It just will not happen. They could also pick a RT, but again, at least we have Stephen Heyer who is young and still has a chance to improve.

What would be best for our team?

Scenario #3 - QB Mark Sanchez somehow still falls to pick #13 and we trade down with the New York Jets to pick allowing them to pick Sanchez. In exchange, we get the Jets' pick #17 and their second round pick. Hopefully, DE Robert Ayers falls to pick # 17 and we select him as well as the best LB available in the second round.

Result - We get some desperately needed help and youth on defense at two positions so that Andre Carter and Albert Haynesworth do not have to play 2 against 5 all season.

Scenario #4 - If Danny and Vinny are hellbent on picking another QB, here is the best we can hope for. Again, Sanchez falls to pick #13 and we trade down with the Jets. At pick # 17, we pick QB Josh Freeman(who a couple analysts have as the best QB prospect in the draft) and use our second round pick on the best DE available.

Result - Hopefully, we get a long-term QB of the future and we get some badly needed help on the defensive line.

With all that said, of course, this is Danny boy we're talking about so all this silly logical stuff could go right out the window. Seattle is also rumored to be considering taking Sanchez at pick #4. I don't know why they would take Sanchez so high because he will sit behind Matt Hasselbeck for the next 3 years and they have several other needs, but after living with Danny for a decade, nothing is a shock anymore. Needless to say, it would not be surprising if Danny boy traded away our entire 2009 draft to move up to #4 to drat Sanchez either. Result - I pretend NFL players are on strike this year and are not playing football and I do not watch ESPN from September 2009 through February 2010.

Time will tell, 48 hours and counting.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Linebacker Need Filled At Last

2009-04-09T09:21:00.005-04:00

Finally, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, holes on the team has been filled. After Danny and Vinny performed their daily mindmeld Wednesday morning, they fearlessly swooped in and struck a fierce blow to NFC East rivals landing the highly touted and sought after LB Robert Thomas. The move has sent shockwaves throughout the NFC and put the NFL on notice that the Redskins linebacking corps is raising its play to a whole new level.

ESPN.com has been ridiculed for not covering a signing of such magnitude on their home page. While ESPN.com has yet to comment and this inexcusable oversight, they still have yet to even add the signing to their silly little Transactions page.

With the addition of Thomas at LB and last year's draft additions of perennial Pro-Bowl WR's Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly as well as Pro-Bowl caliber TE Fred Davis, Danny and Vinny can now focus on more serious issues in the upcoming draft like drafting another Punter.

On the lighter side, here is today's joke of the day.

Q: How can you tell the difference between a NFL Owner and GM with solid football minds who know what they are doing and two monkeys fighting over a banana?

A: Watch how they spend $16 Million!

Washington Redskins:

DT Albert Haynesworth - Age 27, $16 million

New York Giants:

DT Rocky Bernard, Seattle - Age 30, $4 million
DT/DE Chris Canty, Dallas - Age 26, $7 million
SLB Michael Boley, Atlanta - - Age 26, $5 million
1 proven veteran DT, 1 versatile up-and-coming DE/DT, and 1 up-and-coming LB

At least we don't need linebackers anymore.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Superior Handling of the Jay Cutler Situation

2009-04-06T12:40:00.007-04:00

Hey Danny Boy,

Way to reproduce the Jay Cutler situation for us here in Washington. First, Vinny says "I guarantee Jason Taylor will be here for two years". Obviously he had his fingers crossed behind his back when he blurted that out. Then, he blows his horn again stating "Jason Campbell is our quarterback for this season". Then, you turn around only days later trying desperately to trade him and you fail at that.

You would think with two men who dream about throwing away draft picks, Danny and Vinny would have given whatever away whatever was necessary to get Jay Cutler. Now that you failed at that, we have a young quarterback in the last year of his contract who knows management does not want him here. Even if Jason turns the corner this year and has an All-Pro year, why would he possibly want to resign with a team that lied to him and tried to get rid of him? With so many teams with questions at quarterback, Jason is sure to at least drum up some interest from several teams.

All in all, Jay Cutler is an All-Pro caliber quarterback and he would have been a big upgrade over Jason Campbell. Jason is a good quarterback. He has a strong arm, throws a great deep ball, is well spoken, a high character guy and a solid teammate. He has everything you want in a teammate, but the intangibles for being a leading quarterback just are not there. Maybe it is because he has never played in a consistent system and has never been given a chance to really develop. Either way, right now Jay Cutler has that edge that you want in a quarterback. He is not Peyton Manning at this point in his career, but he is very good and he does have potential to be great.

Vinny,

For all of us who have loved the burgundy and gold since birth and do not have $800 million to buy the team and straighten out this mess, please do us a favor and at least stop making statements like the ones above publicly. It's one thing to continue making horrible decisions that make our team and fans suffer. It's an entirely different thing when you flat out embarrass us all and make a mockery of one of the greatest franchises in the NFL. Honestly, it looks like you are in a two team competition with the Cincinnati Bengals to see who can become the most humiliated organization. Right now, you are neck and neck.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Yet Another Blown Opportunity

2009-03-02T09:00:00.011-05:00

Dan (yes, you Snyder),

You are a very little man. You are a very little feeble man. You are a very little feeble man with the football intelligence of a girl scout!

It is absolutely amazing how with such staggering financial wealth, you can somehow still manage to be so unbelievably flat out stupid. At least with football, which is all we care about. You must have surrounded yourself with nothing but 'Yes Men' (insert Vinny Cerrato here) in your office because anyone with real football knowledge and just a little bit of guts would tell you pipe down, sit back and watch an expert build a football team.

Have you ever heard the expression 'Safety in numbers'? Have you ever heard of a football team called the Patriots? You might also recall that team we seem to keep playing every year in New York that dresses in blue. Instead of ritually signing only 1 or 2 big name players to absurd contracts every 3-4 years making it impossible to sign quality players to fill other badly needed positions, you could sign 4 high quality well above average players and still leave us flexibility in case something comes up with the draft or with injuries.

For all intensive purposes, with the exception of DE Andre Carter, we need an entirely new defensive line. Let's take a quick look at what is and what could have been.

Here is who we signed:

DT Albert Haynesworth - $16 million/year

Here is who we could have signed:

DT Rocky Bernard, Seattle - $4 million/year
DT/DE Chris Canty, Dallas - $7 million/year
SLB Michael Boley, Atlanta - - $5 million/year
Grand Total: $16 million/year

That is 1 proven veteran DT age 30, 1 young up-and-coming versatile player that can play either DT or DE age 26, and young up-and-coming LB age 26.

At least, Dan, you don't have to worry about spending another $16 million on these 3 guys because the Giants already signed them and they didn't even need defensive line help nearly as bad as we do.

Now, picture this.

Redskins Problem: Albert Haynesworth gets hurt and is out for the year.
Redskins Result: Oh, crap. Call the Handsome brothers.

Giants Problem: Rocky Bernard gets hurt and is out for the year.
Giants Result: Barry Coefield and Fred Robbins step up and Chris Canty helps fill in

I don't know how you managed to pull off your millions Danny Boy, but from everything you have shown Redskins fans since you bought our beloved team, I can assure you it was a fluke.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Here We Go Again

2009-02-27T08:27:00.004-05:00

After giving his free agent check book last year off, Dan Snyder has brushed the dust off the cover and started writing big checks again and he has turned the Redskins into the NFL's version of the New York Yankees.

Free Agent Signings:
Albert Haynesworth
DeAngelo Hall

Don't get me wrong, it is great to have Albert Haynesworth on our team, but it's not great to have him for 7 years $100 million. Quick math will tell you that comes to $14+ million per season and he has incentives on top of that, which could cost the team more. All things considered, it will out around $15-$16 million per season.

Now consider this. Instead of signing Haynesworth, they could have signed both C Jason Brown and DE Chris Canty. Brown is the top interior lineman in free agency and is looking for $8 million per year. Canty is only 26 years old and has been steadily inching his way up the ladder of very good players and the team could probably get him for the same cost.

With so many needs on both lines, which one would you take?

1 x 27 year old DT Haynesworth playing DT 65% of downs

1 x 26 year old DE Chris Canty &
1 x 25 year old C Jason Brown

This is why the Patriots are so competitive year after year. They have loads of talent and depth because they continue to sign the unsung valuable players instead of the overpaid big names. With so many holes, they should have signed Brown & Canty instead of Haynesworth.

This would have also given them more flexibility to bring back G Derrick Dockery who just became a free agent. With those 3 players signed plus DeAngelo Hall, that would set us up in the draft to take DT or maybe an OT in the first round and we would be in much better shape for next season.

Somehow, Cerrato and Snyder have to find a way to sign Canty and Dockery and squeeze them under the salary cap. If they only sign Haynesworth and go with the rest of the defensive line as is, next season will be another bust in the sack department.

Hey Dan and Vinny, Cut Jason Taylor and sign Chris Canty. No questions, just do it!

I suppose we should give you guys some credit because you did make one subtle change to your customary free agent binge. They did actually sign some younger players rather than the 32-36 year olds you have been signing over the last several seasons.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Jason Taylor and the Salary Cap

2009-02-26T12:13:00.005-05:00

Let's be honest, the Redskins have a lot of holes to fill this offseason and they can only expect to fill 1 or 2 of those through the draft if things go well(See last year's 2nd Round debacle).

One of the problems the team faces is that we have little cap room as usual. One move the team should definitely make is releasing Jason Taylor. The Taylor experiment so far was beyond a bust, there is no way should even think about keeping him. The Redskins would be much better off filling his spot with the bigger and younger Chris Canty, a DE from the Cowboys. He is solid against the run, which Taylor is not and he has shown steadily improving pass rush skills. It would be a big blow to the Cowboys defense to lose the talented 26 year old Canty and any day that you deliver a big blow to the Cowboys is a very good day. Did I mention he was younger?

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Free Agent Suspense is Building

2009-02-26T11:34:00.007-05:00

The suspense of which free agents the Redskins will sign is rising fast. The latest rumor is that Dan Snyder was caught having dinner with Albert Haynesworth's agent and one NFL network analyst says the most likely landing spot for Haynesworth is Washington.

While we would all love to have Haynesworth on our team and our team is in dire need of a big time DT, Dan Snyder has to limit the compensation he would give him. He is looking for $16 million per year. The old Snyder would sign him to an obscene contract and gloat about the top free agent he signed while ignoring all of the team's other holes. Let's hope he has learned by now. Plus, it is well publicized that Haynesworth plays only 65% of downs. That is an awful lot of cap room to take up for a less than full-time player.

If the Redskins can get him for a reasonable figure closer to $12-$13 million per year, I say sign him. Otherwise, use that money to add several value free agents.

For example, the team really needs to resign DeAngelo Hall to sure up the constantly injured CB's on the roster.

Latest Headlines:

Derrick Dockery - The popular monster Guard that broke in to the NFL with the Redskins was just released by the Bills. How about a reunion? The Redskins would fill a big need by bringing back Dockery and he is still in his prime at 28 years old. Of course, the price still has too be right. Derrick got a huge 7 year, $49 million contract from the Bills when he left the Redskins. He would definitely have to lower his standards for the Redskins to bring him back.

Jeff Saturday - It looks as if he really wants to play for the Steelers. If that doesn't work out, he would be a great addition to the offensive line. He normally plays Center, but has stated he is also willing to play Guard.

Other hot names the Redskins should, but have not yet gotten involved with:

Bart Scott - LB, Baltimore
Jason Brown - C, Baltimore

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

An Early Look at Free Agency

2009-02-10T10:56:00.010-05:00

When you look at the Redskins needs for this offseason, you see a long list. Make that a very long list and with, yet another, paultry number of draft picks in the upcoming draft, 4 to be exact, the team will need to make the most of the free agent market.

There are the well known high price free agents like Albert Haynesworth, Julius Peppers, Karlos Dansby, etc, but rumor is that the Redskins will try to avoid the big money contracts again this year much like they did last.

Of course, either Haynesworth or Peppers would be an instant hit with the Redskins because they need to revamp the majority of their defensive line. With those two most likely out of contention due to finances, the braintrust of the team should be looking at these players among others:

DE - Chris Canty: Canty is a young player that is still improving with a strong motor. His is a solid player against both the run and is steadily improving his pass rush skills. He most likely will resign with the Cowboys, but he would be a great steal by the Redskins if they could get him. He would provide some badly needed depth and flexibility along the defensive line. Plus, it's always a bonus to steal from the Cowboys.

LB - Bart Scott: The price tag may also be too high on Bart, doh! Hey, we can dream anyway.

Others to watch:
DT - Dewayne Robertson, Broncos
DE - Igor Olshansky, Chargers
LB - Michael Boley, Falcons

On offense, the Redskins have made their bed with their three second round draft picks last year and now they must lie in it. The two WR's, Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas, and TE, Fred Davis, were all busts in 2008. Only Thomas, supposedly the best WR in the draft, made any kind of on the field contribution and that was minimal. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles' second round draft pick WR Desean Jackson lit up the NFC compiling 62 catches, 912 yards and 2 TD's, but that is another story.

Every year, we Redskins fans hope this is the year we finally get that big WR we so desperately need and every year...well, you know what happens. Yes, it would be great if they could make a play for WR Anquan Boldin, but he would cost too much financially and in draft picks. It would also be nice if they could land TJ Houshmandzadeh, but he is getting older instead of younger and probably cannot hold up as a number one WR at this point of his career.

Instead, the Redskins will need to spend every waking moment this offseason developing their three draft picks and hope they can contribute next season. For this offseason, the team needs to address their aging and injury prone offensive line. Here are some

OT - Stacey Andrews: Stacey plays right tackle for the Bengals and is a monster at 6'7" 342 lbs. The Redskins are in dire need of a right tackle as John Jansen's days of being a full-time starter are officially behind him. Did I mention Stacey plays for the Bengals? So he will undoubtedly be looking for an opportunity with a new team.

OT - Vernon Carey: Carey is another top option at right tackle. He is another behemoth at 6'5" 350 lbs. He may be difficult to pull away from the Dolphins, but he would no doubt be a welcome upgrade.

Others to watch:
G - Jahri Evans, Saints
OT - Max Starks, Steelers

Last, but not least is special teams. As long as we have been waiting for a big WR, we have also been waiting just as long for a solid kicker. If the Redskins are going to go for a # 1 guy on either offense, defense or special teams, it should be special teams. Rob Bironis would finally put an end to the Redskins kicking woes that have haunted them for over a decade. He is only 31, he is accurate with his field goals and he can knock kickoffs out of the end zone. When was the last time you saw a Redskins kicker drill a kickoff through the end zone?

With all that said, he is our early look at how we should fill the holes on our 2009 squad:

Free Agency:
Right Tackle
Defensive End
Linebacker

Draft:
Defensive End - First Round
Linebacker - Best Available in Later Rounds
Corner - Best Available in Later Rounds
Guard - Best Available in Later Rounds

Naturally, this will change depending on who the team is able to sign and if they keep their first round draft pick or try to trade back like they did in 2008.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Redskins' Thought for the Day

2009-01-09T20:32:00.008-05:00

If you thought the Redskins' 2008 season was a little hard to swallow and that their perennial juggernaut offense was somewhat sluggish, here is a 2008 stat that will really put things in perspective for you.

Team Records: Washington Redskins (8-8) - Detroit Lions (0-16)

Here it comes, brace for impact!

Points Scored: Washington Redskins (265) - Detroit Lions (268)

That's right! The proverbial doormat and laughing stock of the NFL, Detroit Lions, who set a NFL record for futility with a 0-16 winless season actually outscored our beloved 8-8 Redskins. There is just nothing to say after hearing that except "Damn you Snyder! Damn you!".

Have a great day. I'm going to go turn over in my grave a few hundred more times, go back to bed and pretend this season never happened.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

A Look Back at the Redskins 2008 Draft

2009-01-08T16:05:00.003-05:00

Well, the damage has been done. The only question now is how long will the Redskins suffer from their 2008 draft. When we look back at the draft now, the Redskins did do a good job of trading their first round pick and accumulating 3 second round picks. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when I watched Chris Burman announce that Daniel "The Big Splash" Snyder had allowed his team to strategically drop back in the draft and add more picks. How painful that must have been for him not to make an uproar in the first round. Since our aging team had so many needs, it was a perfect scenario.

Of course, it was too good to be true and "The Big Splash" just had to go overboard. The Redskins had 2 priority needs going into the draft being a big WR and a pass rushing DE, not to mention some badly needed depth and youth on the entire offensive line, LB and CB. So what did "The Big Splash" do? He used all 3 picks on receivers. He drafted 2 young raw WR's and an unnecessary TE despite having perennial pro-bowler TE Chris Cooley. It made no sense then and now looking back, it was downright awful.

Just since 2000, there are a plethora of top of the draft WR's that were all out busts such as Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, Jerry Porter just to name a few. Forget other teams, look at the Redskins' history of top WR's draftees: Taylor Jacobs, Rod Gardner, Michael Westbrook. Of course, there is my personal favorite, Desmond Howard, selected 4th in the 1992 draft when the Redskins long hard fall from grace began.

The point is that selecting WR's can be largely hit and miss. The Redskins desperately needed a big WR so, of course, they should have selected at least one WR in the second round and you could at least argue that maybe they should even select 2. However, the Redskins were supposedly high on WR Anthony Mix, who was a special teams player for the Redskins in 2007. Mix measured a whopping 6'5", 243 lbs. You can't get much bigger than that for a WR or a TE for that matter. If they truly believed in Mix, they should only have selected one WR in the second round of the 2008 draft. At any rate, Mix did not make the team in 2008 so we have to assume the Redskins were just hyping him up at the time.

Even if the Redskins took 2 WR's in the second round, there is absolutely no way they should have also selected TE Fred Davis given their dire need for a young pash rushing DE. With the uncertainty of highly drafted WR's and their multiple needs along the defensive line, there is no excuse for the team not selecting a DE. What's even worse is they avoided the defensive line through the entire draft before finally wasting their final 7th round pick on DE Rob Jackson who collected all of 1 tackle all season. The Redskins' pass rush only mustered a pathetic 24 sacks this season and DE Andre Carter lead the team with an embarrassing 4.

It wouldn't be so bad if these 3 receivers made an impact and helped offset the team's poor pass rush. So how did they do? Aside from showing up at training camp out of shape and missing most of the pre-season, you be the judge:

Devin Thomas - 15 REC, 120 YDS, 0 TD
Malcolm Kelly - 3 REC, 18 YDS, 0 TD
Fred Davis - 3 REC, 27 YDS, 0 TD

Enough said.

For the teams third and fourth round picks, Chad Rinehart and Justin Tryon, the jury is still out as they both played sparingly and it will probably take another season or two to find out if they will be substantial contributors. The ONLY bright spot out of this draft is an obvious one, 7th round pick SS Chris Horton. Horton stepped up and made numerous big plays in the first half of the season and unexpectedly took over the starting job 5 games into the season. He is far and away the Redskins rookie of the year and looks like he could be a solid contributor for years to come.

All in all, I gave the Redskins an F when the draft completed in April and I will keep that grade and add a little bold to it "F" now that the season is over. Even with the positive impact of Chris Horton could not save this draft. Maybe three years from now will resemble Jerry Rice, Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe, but I highly doubt it.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 11 vs. Dallas Cowboys

2008-11-18T16:00:00.004-05:00

Washington - Well, this game made me sick to my ghostly stomach. Team Evil prevailed and our hopes for the playoffs just decreased dramatically. This was the most nauseating fourth quarter performances I have seen in quite some time.

The Cowboys, Marion Barber specifically, simply ran over the Redskins offensive line all game long. The Redskins were fortunate enough to get 2 interceptions deep in their own end against a rusty Tony Romo to stall 2 scoring drives otherwise this game would not have been close. "Butter Hands" Barber did his part coughing up another fumble, but the Redskins could not recover it. When the 4th quarter rolled around, the Cowboys simply stopped throwing the ball and plowed right through the Redskins defensive line. The Cowboys had 2 drives in the 4th quarter totaling over 10 minutes. The Cowboys showed they were going to run the ball, the Redskins knew it was coming, and they just got manhandled and could not stop it. It was flat out painful to watch.

The Redskins offense was inconsistent at best all game long and Clinton Portis struggled with a sprained knee, but toughed it out and gave a good effort. With Clinton not 100%, the Redskins needed their receivers to step up and make some plays and it did not happen. Chris Cooley did his part with 7 catches, but Santana Moss had 5 catches for only 29 yards and Antwaan Randle El simply disappeared with only 1 catch.

On a positive not, DeAngelo Hall made his presence felt in his Redskins debut with his first interception and newcomer Ryan Plackemeier had a solid game with 4 punts averaging 47 yards.

This is the problem when a team over achieves in the early part of the season. When they come back down to Earth, it's just that much more painful. The Redskins were a team in transition at the beginning of the season and they still are now. They caught a lot of breaks early in the season and a lot of people began to think they were better than they really were and now they have come crashing back down to Earth. The Redskins do have an easier schedule down the home stretch of the season including next week against a happless Seattle team that is 2-8. If the Redskins lose to Seattle, their season is officially over. We can only hope for another end of the season run like they have had the last few seasons, but I would not count on it this time unfortunately.

Washington 10, Dallas 14

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 11 Loss to the Dallas Cowboys

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

LaVar Wins the Just Shut Up Award

2008-11-12T01:03:00.006-05:00

I have always felt terrible for LaVar Arrington. He came in to the NFL with unbelievable talent and dreams of becoming one of the all-time greats. Unfortunately, LaVar's career was single handedly ruined by one man, Daniel Snyder, who seemingly hired and fired defensive coordinators every season. When the Snyder regime took over the team, "The Snyde" was determined to make big splash after big splash signing over the hill and overrated big name players and coaches until his team finally won the title and his face was plastered all over the ESPN web site.

In doing so, the team had no chemistry, no consistency, and no chance. Year after year, LaVar had greater and greater aspirations and year after agonizing year, he was thrown into yet another new defensive scheme with yet another defensive coordinator and/or head coach. For the first 5 years under "The Snyde", it was flat out embarrassing to be a Redskins fan. LaVar never had a chance to mature as a player. He never had a chance to get used to a defensive scheme. He never had a chance to play with his teammates long enough to know where they would be and what they would be doing on the field. This was just a flat out waste of talent and has to go down as one of the biggest dissappointments in not only Redskins, but NFL history. Overall, LaVar is one of the biggest busts in Redskins' history. The terrible part is that it wasn't him that was the bust, it was Daniel Snyder. LaVar did have a few shining moments and a few glimpses of greatness, but they were too few and far between. He was constantly forced to take chances and play out of position on the field and he could never get his feet on solid ground. Now, all we are left with is a bunch of what could have beens. Oh yeah, and Daniel Snyder.

Be that as it may, LaVar needs to sit back and shut up. It is one thing to spout off at Daniel Snyder, the madman that ruined his career, but it is entirely another thing to call Joe Gibbs a "coward" for retiring from coaching last season. Joe Gibbs is and always will be a legend among Redskins fans, but this goes far beyond calling a hall of fame coach names.

As much as I love Joe Gibbs as a coach, the fact is he is a business man and he owns a very successful business in NASCAR. He doesn't need the grief of Daniel Snyder or his band of "fly by night" players.

Beyond that, the most difficult issue to swallow is that it is well known that Joe Gibbs has an infant grandchild who has been sick since the day he was born and has struggled just to stay alive. This poor innocent child and his mother were forced to live in the quarantined basement of their own house for an entire year where he could not go outside or even play with his own siblings. I can't even imagine the immense heartache his mother must have felt going through that. Besides making "The Snyde" a distant memory, Joe naturally wanted more time with his family as any good father or grandfather would.

It doesn't matter what differences LaVar may have had with Joe when he was still playing. To call a man a coward for wanting to be with his family and his sick grandson is a flat out disgrace. LaVar deserves a big fat slap in the face for that and I hope someone gives it to him. I would gladly do it myself, but I'm only a ghost so I can only spook him. I hope someone close to him does have the guts to stand up to him and say he was way out of line. I feel terrible about how is career went, but calling the hall of fame coach and Redskins icon, Joe Gibbs, a coward lowers LaVar's level down into the nether regions. An immediate apology to Joe is the only way LaVar stands a chance at getting a die hard Redskins fan's respect back.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

More De for the Defense

2008-11-11T23:55:00.005-05:00

Welcome home DeAngelo!

The Redskins struck gold this week when they signed 2 time pro-bowler CB DeAngelo Hall. Hall is a tremendous athlete with great skills and is a perfect fit with the Redskins. The team already has 3 excellent starting CB's on the roster, but Sean Springs just cannot stop getting injured and Fred Smoot has unfortunately followed in his footsteps. Hall will only be 25 years old after his birthday next week and brings some much needed youth and a consistently healthy body to the secondary.

Hall has had a poor season overall so far this year after signing a whopping $70 million contract with the Raiders, but he has been showing signs of turning things around the last few games. Maybe he celebrated his contract signing a little too much in the offseason and was not prepared for the early part of the season. Maybe he struggled because he was playing for the laughing stock of the AFC Oakland Raiders. It's amazing. Three weeks ago, I hated Al Davis for how he handled the firing and disgracing of his former head coach Lane Kiffin. Now, I absolutely love that mental patient of a man! Who in their right mind would sign a perrenial pro-bowl caliber player to a $70 million contract and then simply release him outright after a mere 8 games? Insert the bewildered Al Davis picture here.

Hall went to college at Virginia Tech and after getting phone calls and interest from virtually every team in the NFL, he decided to come home to the Redskins where he is comfortable and where the team has a chance of winning. Adding his healthy and highly skilled body to the secondary is a huge boost for us now and later. Not only do we get desperately needed healthy young talent, but we also get the heir apparent to Sean Springs' job next year. Assuming Hall's play the rest of the season goes smoothly and he mixes well with his new teammates, the Redskins can sign him to a long-term deal and save themselves a much needed draft pick in next year's draft where they need every pick possible for the defensive and offensive lines.

It's a WIN-WIN baby...Thanks again Al!

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 9 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

2008-11-06T11:13:00.012-05:00

Washington - In a word, "awful". No..."disgusting". No..."humiliating". No, wait...awww "crap".

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. Our weary warriors showed a big chink in their armor this past Monday night. The offense looked like a high school team playing against a Division 1 college defense. Jason Campbell had an awful day and the offensive line was worse. Besides throwing his first 2 interceptions of the season, Campbell got decked a whopping 7 times(with the ball that is). You simply cannot give up 7 sacks, that is just plain atrocious. Outside of Clinton Portis' one 22 yard scamper, he finished the day with 12 carries for 29 yards.

Granted, the Steelers probably have the best defense in the league, but this was embarrassing. The only way to make it any worse would be to let Pittsburgh fans take over our home stadium. This wreaks of Daniel Snyder. "The Snyde" has done so much damage to our fan base since he descended upon us in 1999 that a lot of fans have simply given up or lost their dedication to our team because of him.

On defense, go figure. The pass rush finally woke up from its dormant state and got some pressure on the opposing QB and then the secondary, insert Carlos Rogers' picture here, turns around and falls apart. The Redskins racked up an astounding 5 sacks in one game after getting only 10 sacks in the first 8 games of the season. You can only hope to contain Demetric Evans! However, while Carlos Rogers has been more consistent this year, he reverted back to his old ways from the past few seasons and simply got smoked in every direction.

We have to take something positive away from this so here is what we have. The defensive line finally woke up and got some pressure on the QB, Sean Suisham has remained consistent and knocked in 2 more 40+ yard field goals, and Ryan Plackemeier averaged a decent 43.7 yards on 6 punts. It's not good when you have to look to your kickers for positives.

Final Score: Washington 6, Pittsburgh 23

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 9 Loss over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Why The Redskins Have Been Successful in 2008

2008-10-31T09:55:00.015-04:00

In the offseason, most NFL "experts" picked the Redskins to finish last in the NFC East and predicted the Cowboys would win the division as well as the Super Bowl. While the season is far from over, the Redskins keep plugging away mounting up wins and the Cowboys continue to be the NFL weekly drama headline. So what has made the difference for the Redskins?

The difference is that the Redskins team is just that, a team. They simply have a great core of coaches and players that play hard and genuinely want to win. They do not have greedy ball hogs hell bent on racking up stats, immature adolescents throwing tantrums on and off the field, and they do not have guys getting into strip club brawls at 2:00am. The Redskins simply have a team full of quality individuals that are good people on and off the field.

Another big difference for the Redskins this year is the team's chemistry. For the first time since Dan Snyder bought the Redskins, the team did not sign an onslaught of free agents in the offseason that have never played together. With the exception of our new draft picks, the team largely consists of the same players from 2007 and you just can't beat experience. Players know each other's moves, they know where their teammates are on the field at all times and they are all willing to step up and help one another.

So maybe it is the quality of players on the Redskins that have lead to their new found success. Maybe, it is the team's chemistry and their experience from playing together. Undoubtedly, there is also one other X factor for this team. The loss of Sean Taylor. Sean was a tremendous talent and a huge loss on the field and his loss still weighs on the hearts and minds of Redskins' players and fans alike. But while Sean may no longer be here physically, he is still contributing to our team in a way that cannot be measured. Maybe, "team" is not the right word for the Redskins. Maybe, a better word is "family". Sean has helped bring this team closer together than any other team in the NFL. He has brought them together as a family and they are a family that sticks together through good times and bad. Sean was a leader on the field, and now, he is a leader off of it.

Thank you for everything you gave us Sean and for everything you are still giving us. We miss you.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Next Two Games Critical to Season

2008-10-28T15:01:00.008-04:00

Our team is flat out tired, injuries are mounting, mainly on the defense, and players are being forced to play out of position. The next two games against Pittsburgh and Dallas, both at home, will most likely determine the direction the team takes for the remainder of the season. If they win both of these games, the Redskins will have become major contenders for the playoffs. If they split the games going 1-1, it will still be undecided if they are a serious threat. If they lose both games, their season that started off so brightly will end in mediocrity.

This week's Monday night battle with Pittsburgh at home in Washington is a huge test. Jason Taylor and Sean Springs are already ruled out for the game. Fortunately, it looks like Cornelius Griffin and Chris Horton will be back on the field. This is the last game before the all important bye week and the Redskins need to make a statement.

Pittsburgh has a tough defense that will make it very difficult for Clinton Portis to find holes. On offense, the Steelers are down to their third string RB due to injuries and the Redskins defensive front should be able to stuff their rushing game. This may very well come down to a passing battle between Big Ben and Jason Campbell. Jason Campbell and Santana Moss must have a big day. Antwaan Randle El needs to get into the act and put up a few big plays against his old team for the Redskins to pull this out.

After the much needed bye week, the Redskins face the Dallas Evil and they have a chance at virtually ending Dallas' season with a victory over them. It looks like Tony Romo will make his return from his pinky booboo in this game and Team Evil will be fighting for their playoff lives. They also don't want to be labeled this year's biggest disappointment(again), which they will be with only a few more losses.

The Redskins are hoping to have Jason Taylor and Sean Springs back for the Dallas game. The defense desperately needs a healthy Jason Taylor and Andre Carter to start reeking havoc in the backfield. If they can't get to the QB in these two games, they could very well get picked apart.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 8 vs Detroit Lions

2008-10-27T10:31:00.014-04:00

Detroit - Our beloved Redskins seemingly keep finding ways to win games this year. This week, they traveled to Detroit to face a Detroit Lions team that they should have beaten by a wide margin. However, the Lions must be given some credit because they played hard and looked better than an 0-7 team.

On offense, the Lions simply could not run the ball. The Redskins' defensive line stuffed RB's Rudi Johnson and Kevin Smith and allowed only 33 yards on 12 carries between so it was up to their QB to make something happen for them. In only his 4th NFL start, the 25 year old Orlovsky went a productive 21/35 for 223 yards with 1 touchdown pass to an improving Calvin Johnson.

Through most of the first half, the Lions defense played with a lot of energy and managed to hold the Redskins to only one field goal on their first drive. They caused a key turnover at mid field putting their offense in great position and they made the best of it driving the ball in for a touchdown. After taking the lead, the Lions defense again stepped up and held the Redskins to a 3 and out and gave their hot handed offense the ball right back again. The offense moved down the field on an 8 play 44 yard drive and capped it off with a field goal giving them a 10-3 and, worse than that, got them believing they could pull off the upset.

It wasn't until about midway through the 2nd quarter when the Redskins began to wake up on offense and they put together a 59 yard drive, which was ended by a face mask penalty on Jon Jansen and then Shaun Suisham missed a 50 yard field goal attempt. The Redskins did get the ball back one more time before the end of the half and they finally changed the momentum of the game in their favor. Facing a 3rd and 19 from their own 17 yard line, Jason Campbell completed a beautifully thrown ball to Mr. Everything (James Thrash) for 29 yards. Campbell mixed his targets hitting Chris Cooley and Santana Moss putting them in position for a last second field goal and, this time, Shaun Suisham delivered on a 47 yarder as time expired.

It would have been easy for Jim Zorn to play it conservatively and run the ball up the middle when the Redskins were backed up deep in their own end, but give the coach credit for mixing his play calls and airing it out before the end of the half. After an inconsistent, penalty and turnover filled first half, the Redskins needed something positive to happen. When Suisham connected on his last second field goal, it breathed new life into the Redskins the carried over to the second half of the game.

In the second half, the Redskins continued marching the ball down the field scoring 19 points, highlighted by a tremendous 50 yard pass play from Jason Campbell to Santana Moss. Campbell continues to show he is maturing into one of the better QB's in the league. Against an unblocked blitz, Campbell calmly stepped up in the pocket to avoid the initial rush and delivered the beautifully thrown ball to Moss without so much as a flinch with the defender breathing down his back. While on the receiving end, the perfectly placed ball landed right in Moss' hands in stride on the sideline where he turned on the jets and flew by two Lions defenders.

While a win is a win in and the Redskins have had a great first half of the season, there are two disturbing trends that Jim Zorn will have to find a way to correct if the Redskins are going to make a serious playoff run. Against a below average Detroit offensive line with a young and inexperienced QB, the Redskins could still only manage 1 sack for the game. They now have a meager 10 sacks through 8 games this season. If they are going to have success against the elite teams in the NFL, they will have to find a way to get to the QB. This simply MUST improve. Shawn Springs was out again against Detroit and simply cannot hold up over a full season. With the additional injuries to Reed Doughty and now Chris Horton, the Redskins' secondary is on very thin ice now. One more injury to the secondary could spell disaster for the Redskins' defense who completely rely on their outstanding coverage units.

The other trend is that while the Redskins have continued to move the ball on offense, they are having to settle for a lot of field goal attempts. With all of the yardage numbers they have been racking up, they need to find a way to convert some more of those field goals into touchdowns. They will have a very tough time keeping up with the NFL's elite teams kicking field goals at this rate.

Does anyone still have Dexter Manley's or Charles Mann's phone number?

Final Score: Washington 25, Detroit 17

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 8 Win over the Detroit Lions.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 7 vs Cleveland Browns

2008-10-20T14:09:00.010-04:00

Washington - Ahhhh...What a glorious Monday and a beautiful beginning to the week. The sun is shining a little brighter, politicians are showing they really are somewhat like real people on Letterman and SNL, and even the dreadfully corrupt stock market is up (Check back next hour for an update on stocks). All is right in the world again. The Redskins emerged from the weekend victorious again while the Evil Cowpokers stumbled and bumbled their way into third place in the NFC East.

Against a talented and improving Cleveland Browns team that demolished the New York Giants only 6 days earlier, the Redskins again served notice to the NFL that they are a team to be reckoned with. In a good old fashioned slug fest, the two teams combined for only 28 completed passes and a whopping 16 punts.

The difference in this game was once again Clinton Portis who ran wild for 175 yards on 27 carries with his 7th touchdown of the season. Portis is playing his best football since becoming a Redskin and has now gone 4 straight games with at least 120 yards. Beyond his rushing totals, his selfless play as a blocker and as an occasional receiver, Portis has become the glue that keeps the entire offense together. As well as he played and as much credit as he deserves for his effort against Cleveland, it was Portis himself who almost coughed up the game when he fumbled deep in Redskins territory late in the game giving the Browns one last chance before Phil Dawson miss fired on a 54 yard field goal that would have tied the game.

Jason Campbell played another steady game going 14/23 and he has now thrown 202 passes this season without an interception, a great accomplishment. However, Campbell again only threw for 164 yards and this was the 4th time in 7 games this season that Campbell did not reach the 200 yard mark. Campbell did tweak his groin during the game, which naturally limited him, but the Redskins must find a way to get more out of the passing game as the season progresses.

On the defensive side of the ball, what can you say? The Redskins played stifling defense again. The strength of this team lies in its secondary, which continues to step up when called upon. The defensive line's strength is clearly against the run and they limited Jamal Lewis to 80 yards on 19 carries. If you take out Lewis' one big run of 22 yards, the Redskins held him to 3.2 yards per carry for the game. However, not all is roses for the Redskins defense. The Redskins again were not able to generate a consistent pass rush against the Browns. Andre Carter, who had an impressive 10.5 sacks last season, managed to record the teams lone sack of the game and now has the team lead with a measly 2 sacks. We can only hope that Jason Taylor makes a fast and furious comeback to help the situation and give the secondary some much needed relief.

Beyond Taylor, our only hope may lie in Erasmus James. The forgotten DE has not accumulated any stats yet this season and we have not heard any mention of him since he was acquired from the Vikings in the pre-season. Hopefully, James is building up and getting healthier from his past injuries and will be able to make some kind of contribution in the second half of the season. At age 25, James still has youth on his side, but he will more than likely never be the same player he was when he was drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft.

As all the stars and planets aligned themselves this past weekend, the Dallas Cowpokers lowered themselves to an entirely new level by not only losing to the St. Louis Rams, but by being shredded by the St. Louis Rams 34-14. How funny life can be. Last week, I hated the Rams more than more than a friction burn and this week I added Steven Jackson to my Christmas card list. Jackson ran over the Cowpokers like a monster just in time for Halloween. Brad Johnson pitched in and did a wonderful job spreading the ball around to 9 receivers including 2 of which were Rams players. Personally, I was hoping Tony Romo would have played so that Leonard Little could have knocked him into the middle of December. And then there was "Butter Hands" Barber letting his 5th fumble of the year slip right into the defenders arms. It's beautiful to watch when the Cowpokers work together as a team like this.

Speaking of Christmas, when Christmas does come this year and the ghost of Christmas Future shows Daniel Snyder that he eventually becomes the meddling Jerry Jones, we can only hope he will learn from his mistakes and stay out of player personnel decisions and stay in his overpriced luxury booth where he belongs.

On a final note, keep Jerry Jones away from the Steinbrenner family! Do not even let him in to Yankee stadium. We managed to overcome the buried David Ortiz's jersey, but not even the mighty Pinstripes can overcome the tainted ora of the Cowboys' owner. Someone call security and fast!

Final Score: Washington 14, Cleveland 11

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 7 Win over the Cleveland Browns

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Mid Season Additions

2008-10-15T16:29:00.006-04:00

Today, the Redskins announced the signings of 3 new players:

RB - Sean Alexander
S - Mike Green
P - Ryan Plackemeier

All 3 players have previously played in Detroit with Jim Zorn. The signing of Sean Alexander is a good one. With backup RB Ladell Betts out for the next 3-4 weeks due to injury, Alexander will provide some much needed stable and experienced depth. He is a natural fit with the team and already knows the offense as well as Head Coach Jim Zorn and RB coach Stump Mitchell. At this point in his career, he does not care about numbers. He only wants to win. He is a consummate professional and a solid locker room presence. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he has a chip on his shoulder. Only 3 seasons ago, Alexander was the best player in Seattle and arguably the best RB in the NFL. This season, he could not even land a roster spot until there was an injury in week 6. NFL teams have written him off and he wants to prove he still has something left in his tank. Of course, Redskins officials state that Alexander had a phenomenal workout and he states this is the strongest he has been in 2 years. Time will tell how great a shape his body really is in and whether he can hold up to the wear and tear.

Mike Green adds much needed depth at safety for the team. Reed Doughty, who started at the beginning of the season at strong safety, has been battling a nerve issue that has been affecting his play. He recently lost his starting job to rookie 7th round draft pick, Chad Horton. Green will bring 8 years of valuable experience to share with Horton. He has also played under both Jim Zorn in Seattle and Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache in Chicago so it should be a smooth transition for him.

Finally and sadly, the Durant Brooks era is over after only 6 weeks and Derrick Frost is smiling in Green Bay after being cut at the end of preseason in favor of the rookie. Frost is a mediocre punter in the NFL, but he is at least consistent.

During the first 6 weeks of the season, Brooks sprayed the football all over the field and his teammates and coaches never knew what they were going to get from him. After giving up 2 short line drive punts for touchdowns and after shanking a 26 yard punt deep in their own territory against the Rams, Zorn had to make the decision. Zorn wanted to stick it out with Brooks and I thought he would turn things around after some early rookie jitters. He did have some booming kicks, but overall there were just too many mistakes and he was too inconsistent.

It was worth a shot for the Redskins to make a move in the draft to try to improve their kicking game. Unfortunately, it did not work out for them. The team invested a 6th round pick in Brooks, which is not a huge loss. Albeit, starting SS Chad Horton was a 7th round pick and they could have used this 6th round pick on another much needed defensive lineman. You just don't know what you are going to get in the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds of the draft.

Ryan Plackemeier is similar to Derrick Frost, but Frost has slightly better numbers. So as we look back, it appears the Redskins have actually taken a slight step backwards in their kicking game this season despite their efforts. This will be a need that must be addressed in the next offseason, but not through the draft. Plackemeier should at least provide some consistency for the Redskins on special teams. There is also one extra bonus with Plackemeier. He is 6'3" and 247lbs and can probably fill in for FB Mike Sellers should he get injured or need a breather. Now, that's versatility!

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 6 vs. St. Louis Rams

2008-10-15T15:05:00.007-04:00

Washington - Heading in to this season, the Redskins had three Must Wins on their schedule: St. Louis, Detroit and Cincinnati. We can now cross off the first one on this list in disgust. After impressively beating two of their bitter rivals on the road the past two weeks and getting off to a quick start in their 2008 campaign, the Redskins seemingly fell asleep at the wheel against one of the worst teams in professional football, the St. Louis Rams.

After getting an early turnover at the Rams' three yard line, RB Clinton Portis punched his way into the end zone and the rout was on, or so it seemed. After the Rams connected on a long 51 yard field goal, the Redskins opened up the passing attack and moved the down field quickly until an uncharacteristic fumble by TE Chris Cooley setting the tone for a long day.

The defense played strong again stifling the Rams' offense for most of the game, but the Redskins offense was determined to keep this a close and low scoring game. Two drives in a row, the Redskins drove down the field only to fumble the ball away in St. Louis territory. Finally, the Redskins drove the ball again to the Rams' 16 yard line right before the half when the play of the game occurred. QB Jason Campbell had a pass batted in the air and was caught by LG Pete Kendall. Not knowing how to run with a football, Kendall bumbled his way for a few steps before having the ball knocked out of his hands and returned 75 yards for a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the half giving the Rams the momentum, which they would carry through the rest of the game.

In the second half, the Redskins finally stopped turning the ball over and their offense was on the move again. Early in the 4th quarter, they marched down the field, but were stopped at the St. Louis 21 yard line and had to settle for a field goal. After the defense held once again, the Redskins finally got back to smash mouth Hog football and moved down field. With 3:53 left in the game, RB Clinton Portis ran it in from 2 yards out and it looked as if the Redskins would be able to pull out a victory despite multiple turnovers in the first half. But it was not to be.

At 3rd down and 13, QB Marc Bulger reached back and heaved a last ditch effort hail mary pass to WR Donnie Avery that connected for 43 yards putting the Rams in range for a field goal to win the game. Despite an absurd 15 yard Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty on Rams RG Richie Incognito that he has undoubtedly received multiple verbal lashings from his teammates and coaching staff, Rams' PK Josh Brown drilled a 49 yard field goal to end the game and send the Redskins their locker room utterly bewildered.

The Redskins were clearly the better football team on both offense and defense. QB Jason Campbell completed 18/26 passes, but yet again totaled only 208 yards and while he did not throw an interception, he also did not throw for a touchdown for the second game in a row. WR Santana Moss was also ineffective for the second game in a row catching only 2 passes for 22 yards.

The defense played strong and stifled the Rams for the majority of the game only giving up the one big pass play at the end of the game. They held RB Stephen Jackson to 79 yards for a 3.6 average and limited QB Marc Bulger to only 136 yards. However, the defense again struggled to get to the quarterback. They managed to end their sackless game streak and did sack Marc Bulger 2 times, but had to blitz CB Sean Springs to get one of them, which they clearly cannot depend on in the future.

Now, the Redskins have to get back on track and prepare for the rejuvinated Cleveland Browns that just hammered the New York Giants and suddenly look like the contender most people thought they would be. The Redskins must beat Cleveland at home in Washington. After Cleveland, they have games at Detroit and home against an always tough Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Redskins lose to the Browns, they could easily find themselves at disappointing 5-4 going into their week 10 bye week. After such a great start to the season, that would be a severe blow to the team's confidence going into the second half of the season.

Final Score: Washington 17, St. Louis 19

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 6 Loss to the St. Louis Rams

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 5 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

2008-10-10T14:15:00.008-04:00

Philadelphia - The Redskins are officially off to their hottest start in years after back to back division road wins. The Redskins went to Philadelphia to face the Eagles and try to prove that their win in Dallas last week was no fluke. At the end of Sunday's game, they did just that after emerging victoriously once again.

The Redskins began the game slowly, allowing the Eagles to march down the field on their opening drive in typical Eagles fashion handing off and throwing the football repeatedly to RB Brian Westbrook. After methodically moving the ball down the field, Westbrook ran it in from 9 yards out.

After a quick 3 and out, P Durant Brooks served up yet another low 37 yard punt and WR DeSean Jackson sped through the Redskins wave of special teamers and returned it for a touchdown. On a positive note, Jackson was polite and did say "Thank you" to Brooks as he flew passed him on his way to the end zone.

Even though it was early in the game, it looked as it it were already over. "Hah!" shouted head coach Jim Zorn. "Now, we have them right where we want them!" And he was right. The Redskins stuck together like white on rice and put an early end to the Eagles offense. Although they were down 14 points, the Redskins stuck with their game plan and began giving the Eagles #1 rated rushing defense a steady and overpowering dose of RB Clinton Portis. Over the next 3 1/2 quarters, Portis racked up 145 yards on 29 carries and even chipped in with 2 receptions for 13 yards.

QB Jason Campbell had another positive and turnover free game going 16/29 for 176 yards and completed passes to 6 different receivers. However, it was disappointing and concerning that WR Santana Moss, the team's #1 WR, did not catch a pass.

The Redskins played tremendous football from the middle of the first quarter on. The offense was steady and productive and the defense seems to be excelling at coverage and running down opponents' rushers. However, there are still many concerns for the Redskins and while many experts say the Redskins are for real and will not fade as the season progresses, it is difficult to believe.

For the second week in a row, the Redskins registered 0 sacks. That is a major problem that the Redskins must resolve if they are going to make a serious playoff push in 2008. They must find a way to get to the quarterback. They are relying far too much on their cornerbacks and safeties to play perfect coverage. On offense, the Redskins have been near perfect with turnovers and Jason Campbell has yet to throw an interception this season. Campbell's low numbers are still concerning though. Yes, he is still a young quarterback and, yes, he is learning yet another new offensive system, but Jim Zorm must find a way to get more production out of the passing game if the Redskins are going to put up a serious fight in the NFC East. Campbell typically only throws for 175-200 yards per game with a YPA of 6-7 yards.

Zorn will have to open up the offense in the second half of the year in order to take pressure off of Clinton Portis. Campbell cannot be expected to play all season without giving up an interception or Portis a fumble. Without a dominant defense, the Redskins will need to get Campbell up to the 250 yards per game average for them to pose a serious threat.

The Redskins are on the right track on offense and defense, but they are still 1-2 seasons away from being a legitimate power in the NFL and that is only if they address their needs in the draft and through free agency correctly. For now, it is great to see the Redskins having some early success, especially on the road against their bitter rivals. Enojy it, relish it and soak it all in because odds are, they can not keep it up all season.

Final Score: Washington 23 - Philadelphia 17

Highlights of the Redskins' week 5 Win over the Philadelphia Eagles

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 4 vs. Dallas Cowboys

2008-09-30T14:09:00.008-04:00

Dallas - When the dust settled, the Redskins emerged from Week 4 with an impressive 3-1 record tied for second place in the tough NFC East. The Redskins took a surprising and significant step towards becoming a legitimate playoff caliber team by beating the Dallas Cowboys on the road. After starting very slow in Week 1 against the N.Y. Giants, the Redskins have reeled off 3 strong victories. What has been the difference between Week 1 and Weeks 2-4? Two words, Jason Campbell.

Campbell is suddenly flourishing under new Head Coach and Quarterbacks Coach, Jim Zorn. The change in Campbell's play was on display again this week in Dallas as Campbell continued to elude Dallas pass rushers with nifty footwork time and time again. He showed great poise stepping up in the pocket to make big plays when the Redskins needed them and he hung in there until the last possible second to launch the football with defenders in his face before taking some monster hits. He has established a solid connection with WR Santana Moss and continues to mix passes with Anwaan Randle El, Chris Cooley and, the ageless and consumate professional, James Thrash.

On the other side of the ball, the Redskins did an excellent job defending in the secondary and stuffing the Dallas rushing game. They limited perhaps the best offensive team in football to just 17 points before yielding a late touchdown in their prevent defense. Shawn Springs stepped up and did an outstanding job blanketing Terrell Owens and taking him out of the game early.

Despite their current winning streak and this week's impressive road win over the Cowboys, who many experts have picked to go to and win the Super Bowl, the Redskins still have plenty of room for improvement. They continue to struggle getting to the quarterback and managed 0 sacks on the day against Dallas. With Phillip Daniels out for the season and Jason Taylor now out of the lineup indefinitely, the Redskins may be forced to start taking more chances on defense to create pressure up front. Don't be surprised if Marcus Washington and LaRon Landry begin finding their way into the opponents backfield in blitz packages over the next few weeks.

Another area of constant concern is the injury prone secondary. Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot and Carlos Rogers are all Pro-Bowl caliber cornerbacks, but they also have more points on their frequent hospital member card than the rest of the team combined. While Springs typically started strong against Dallas, he again typically had to leave the game early in the third quarter because of a injury, which turned out to be a calf strain. If Springs is unable to start the next game, Carlos Rogers will need to finally step up and play like the dominating first round draft pick the Redskins thought he would be.

All in all, the Redskins must be happy with what they have accomplished so far and Washington fans would no doubt vote for Jim Zorn if he was added at the last minute to the presidential ticket. But can they keep it up with so many aging and injury prone players on both sides of the ball? I tend to doubt it, but I will enjoy it for now.

Final Score: Washington 26 - Dallas 24

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 4 Win over the Dallas Cowboys

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 3 vs. Arizona Cardinals

2008-09-22T11:44:00.010-04:00

Washington - Another week and another solid, but far from dominating win. Against the steadily improving Arizona Cardinals, the Redskins had to earn every yard and the defense came up big again forcing two key turnovers.

The Redskins took the ball first and marched down the field with a nice mix of runs and short passes. They steadily moved down the field until RB Clinton Portis pounded it into the end zone from three yards out. After WLB Rocky McIntosh stripped the ball loose from RB Edgerrin James for his first fumble of the year and the Redskins recovered, the offense was stymied and forced to kick a field goal giving the Redskins an early 10-0 lead.

In the second quarter, however, the Cardinals were able to rip off multiple 10+ yard runs and QB Kurt Warner got himself into a rythm with his wide receiving core and lead his team down the field and connecting with WR Anquon Boldin for a 4 yard touchdown and the half ended.

With the help of 2 penalties by CB Fred Smoot and DE Jason Taylor, the Cardinals moved the ball down the field and began the second half with a field goal to tie the game and the shoot out was on.

Back came the Redskins on the very next possession with an 11 play 80 yard drive taking over 6 minutes wearing out the defense with another great mix of run and pass play calling by Jim Zorn leading to a 2 yard TE Todd Yoder touchdown catch.

But Kurt Warner came right back and did what Kurt Warner does best... throw the bomb. With Kurt Warner's arm and top WR Larry Fitzgerald on the opposite burning down the field, the Cardinals can explode for a touchdown at any given moment and that is exactly what happened. On the third play from scrimmage, Kurt Warner launched the ball down field to a wide open Larry Fitzgerald for a 62 yard pass play for a touchdown.

When the Cardinals took the ball again in the fourth quarter, they started deep in their own end at the 19 yard line. On the third play from scrimmage again, Kurt Warner launched another rocket down field, but this time the pass was deflected and CB Carlos Rogers made a great diving effort for the interception at the Washington 43 yard line. After laying out for the catch, Rogers sprung to his feet before being touched and hurdled his way all the way down to the Arizona 15. From there, Jason Campbell hit Santana Moss on a short wide receiver screen and Moss squirmed his way 17 yards into the end zone.

After holding the Cardinals to 4 plays on defense, the Redskins smelled blood and they aired it out to rookie WR Devin Thomas for a 68 yard touchdown that would have sealed the victory, but it was not to be. The play was called back after an inexcusible Unnecesary Roughness call on RT Stephon Heyer. The Redskins were still able to overcome the penalty and move the ball down the field taking precious time off the clock and giving PK Shaun Suisham a chance to seal the game again, but he was unable to hit a 52 yard field goal.

The defense came back on to the field needing one more stop and they is exactly what they got holding Arizona to a quick 3 and out. Needing only one first down to run out the clock, the Redskins pounded the ball with Clinton Portis and Jason Campbell connected with Chris Cooley on a game ending 26 yard pass play.

After losing badly to the Giants in week 1, the Redskins desperately needed to win the next 2 games against two slightly above average teams and that is exactly what they did. They have to be happy with the overall result of this game and they have to be pleased with their steadily improving run defense as well as their outstanding secondary coverage. However, despite getting 2 sacks against the Cardinals, the defense still was not able to generate any kind of consistent pass rush. Kurt Warner simply had too much time the throw the ball on many occasions and, fortunately, the Cardinals were only able to connect on one long touchdown pass play to Larry Fitzgerald. They must find a way to get to the quarterback more consistently. They cannot simply sit back and rely on their coverage units to defend passes. The secondary is too susceptible to injuries and cannot take on that much pressure for an extended period of time so Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache has some adjustments to make. We will see how he does in the coming weeks.

Final Score: Washington 24, Arizona 17

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 3 Win over the Arizona Cardinals

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Ricky Williams Signs Extension

2008-09-19T14:24:00.004-04:00

Ricky Williams, the NFL's version of Steve Howe (Relief Pitcher who was suspended by the MLB for alcohol and drug abuse 7 times), somehow continues to linger with the Miami Dolphins like a bad case of athlete's foot. Not only has Williams upset and disgraced teammates, team management, fans and the entire NFL in his career, but now he has managed to alienate his own sports agent, Leigh Steinberg, Sports Agent Directory.

Williams, now 31 years old, was set to become a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. Despite his troubled past, teams desperate for help at running back apparently still view him as an effective option and still seem willing to tolerate his shenanigans. Lehigh Steinberg's plan was for Williams to have a productive 2008 season and then score one more multi-year contract before his career finally comes to a merciful end. However, Ricky decided that Ricky knows best once again and he negotiated a one year contract extension with the Miami Dolphins on his own without informing Steinberg.

Williams informed Steinberg about the contract extension after it had already been agreed upon and, no doubt, left his agent so steaming mad he simply could not make a comment to the media about the situation. Williams said the new contract means he's set for life financially, allowing him to support his three children and attend medical school when he retires from the NFL.

On a separate note, I have instructed my HMO to deny all services offered at any medical facility where Ricky plans to practice medicine or alternative herbal remedies in the future. I suggest you do the same.

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 2 vs. New Orleans Saints

2008-09-18T13:09:00.017-04:00

Washington - After being dismantled in week 1 by the New York Giants, skeptics were already dropping the axe on Head Coach Jim Zorn ranting about his inexperience and the absurd hiring process employed by good old "Danny Boy". Only in week 2, the Redskins desperately needed a victory over an improved New Orleans team in order to avoid falling behind in their division as they have done the past several seasons. With the defending Super Bowl champion Giants and the favored Dallas Cowpokers in their division, they could ill-afford to fall behind early.

While going through the transition of a new coach, new offensive system and still a young quarterback, it also helped the team a great deal that the Saints were missing several key starters on both sides of the ball. The Redskins started strong on offense with 3 solid drives and got on the board first with a pair of field goals. The defense stuffed the New Orleans rushing game forcing several punts early in the game, but a key punt return fumble by Antwaan Randle El in Washington's own end put the Saints in excellent position to change the momentum and that is exactly what they as RB Pierre Thomas ran in for a touchdown from 1 yard out.

With 8:36 left in the half, the Redskins moved their way down the field yet again and came up empty once more missing a second field goal, this time from only 30 yards away. The defense held strong, though and the teams traded field goals before the end of the half giving the Saints a 10-9 lead.

In the third quarter, QB Drew Brees showed again that he is one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. With the rushing game stifled, Brees completed pass after pass to his mish mash receiving core with the likes of TE Mark Campbell, WR David Patten and WR Robert Meachem leading them to a touchdown. Then P Durant Brooks pooched up a wounded duck of a punt 38 yards to Reggie Bush that never gave Redskins defenders a chance to get down field and Reggie proceeded to fly down field 55 yards for a touchdown return. Of course, being the bonehead that he is, Reggie that it was in his team's best interest to get flagged for a 15 yard taunting penalty aftwards, which seems to be becoming his signature move after touchdowns.

In the 4th quarter, it was a different story. The Redskins were down by 9 points and the Saints drove to the Redskins 49 yard line before the defense stiffened and forced the Saints to punt. Then, QB Jason Campbell put the ball in flight and spread the ball around the field to TE Chris Cooley, Antwaan Randle El, TE Fred Davis and WR Santana Moss before RB Clinton Portis punched it in to the end zone from 9 yards out.

The defense held the Saints 3 and out before the play of the game happened. With only 3:38 left in the game, the offense took the field. Jason Campbell took the first snap, avoided a sack and aired it out connecting with Santana Moss on a 67 yard pass play for a touchdown leading the Redskins to a late comeback victory.

While it was great to get Jim Zorn his first victory as a head coach and it was also great to see the Redskins show the fortitude to come from behind and win, there sill are some very real concerns. On offense, Drew Brees was a sharp 22/33 passing with 1 touchdown and he connected with 9 different receivers, which speaks volumes about his vision on the field. Even with all of that success, though, he did not have his #1 target, WR Marques Colston, who did not play. I would have hoped the Redskins could have limited Brees to a lower percentage than they did.

On offense, the Redskins ran the ball well and Clinton Portis finished the day with 21 carriers for 96 yards. Ladell Betts also tacked on another 6 carries for 25 yards. Jason Campbell did have a productive day and finished 24/36 for 321 yards and 1 touchdown. While those are good numbers, you need to look a little more closely. Their last play of the game accounted for 67 yards leaving him with 254 yards for the rest of the game. In addition to their #1 WR, the Saints were also without starting SLB Scott Fujita as well as their 2 leading CB's Mike McKenzie and Randall Gay. To compound their problems, they also lost DB Aaron Glenn early in the third quarter to injury and it would have been nice to see the Redskins take at least a few more chances down the field before the end of the game to take advantage of the mismatches. We can only hope that this will serve as a valuable learning experience for the coaches and players.

Final Score: Washington 29, New Orleans 24

Highlights of the Redskins' Week 2 Win over the New Orleans Saints

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog

Week 1 vs. New York Giants

2008-09-18T13:09:00.016-04:00

New York - After all of the excitement from the Washington Redskins off season, which included a new head coach, new offensive scheme, and three new tall receiving targets for Jason Campbell via the draft, the Redskins began the 2008 season with the same look they have sported for the last several seasons, a slow, predictable and thoroughly underwhelming offense. The Redskins could not get any momentum going or develop any rhythm on offense throughout the game and only mustered a disheartening 7 points.

What did change in this game from the last few seasons was the play of the offensive and defensive lines, both of which were largely manhandled by the Giants. While the overall offense has struggled in recent seasons, the offensive and defensive lines have remained a fairly strong mainstay for the team. However, in the 2008 season opener, what we saw was an uninspired, lethargic and aging group that were pushed around on both sides of the ball. If the Redskins combine a below average offense with below average offensive and defensive lines this season, this could be a very long year for the Redskin faithful.

One bright spot for the team, was new starting RT Stephen Heyer who replaced Jon Jansen as starter. While the first-time starter was a little overwhelmed as the game began, he did settle down and seemed to play better as the game went along. Another bright spot was RB Clinton Portis, who only managed 84 rushing yards and a 3.7 yards per carry. However, he appeared strong and healthy and did well to gain 84 yards behind poor play from the offensive line.

Final Score: N.Y. Giants 16 - Washington 7

Highlights of the Week 1 Redskins' loss to the NY Giants

---
JacksGhost
Washington Redskins Hog Blog