Posts Tagged ‘Shanahan’

Redskins Roster Predictions - Offense

Stallworth has a big fan in Shanny

For the first time in years the Redskins have the luxury of depth on their roster as they prepare for the 2013 season. The battle for roster spots will be intense and the Skins will have to let a couple of quality players go when the dust settles. Who will stay and who will go? Here’s a few predictions that I have on the offensive side of the ball.

Rex Grossman will make the team

Grossman didn’t appear in a game all last season (this is a good thing) and is no danger of beating out Kirk Cousins for the backup QB job. However, the Shanahans are comfortable with Grossman and may be his biggest fans. If Shanahan sticks to his plan to not play RG3 all of training camp, I believe he’ll want the security of Grossman on the roster heading into week 1. Of course, the Skins could cut Grossman and bring him back after week 1, so his contract isn’t guaranteed for the entire season. Either way, he’ll be on the team at least for the early part of the season and I believe the Skins will be willing to guarantee his contract at $950,000 and have him on the roster on opening day.

Evan Royster will be cut

Here’s the problem with Royster, his best chance to make the team is as a third down back and special teams player and he’s not good at either. He lacks big-play explosiveness and is a below average receiver and pass blocker. The writing was on the wall for him when the Redskins drafted Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison. If either of those players play well in preseason and Roy Helu Jr. is healthy, Royster will be looking for a new team.

Donte Stallworth makes the team

This is the long shot of long shots and another player who’s a candidate to be cut before week 1 only to be brought back due to being vested veteran. However, this is another guy who has a big fan in Mike Shanahan. Stallworth played decent for the Skins in 2011 and Shanny wanted to bring him back last season but Stallworth signed with the Patriots. He’ll be competing with Devery Henderson and Dezmon Briscoe for the 6th WR spot…Aldrick Robinson definitely makes the team. I remember how well Stallworth played on special teams in 2011 and I believe that will be the difference. Briscoe didn’t dress for many games last season because he doesn’t play special teams and blew opportunies on offense when he did dress.

I also believe that if healthy Mo Hurt makes this team, his versatility on the O-line will force someone (not sure who) out.

Cheers and Hail

Time For Shanny To Stop Banking On Banks

Mike Shanahan discussing Brandon Banks earlier in the season:

He’s a guy that’s a playmaker, and he’s proved that since he’s been here. We’re going to find ways to get him the football.”

Well, you’ve tried Shanny and it’s failed…however, it’s not for a lack of trying. The Shanny’s have force fed the ball to Banks with terrible results. This experiment has failed worse than a TE reverse and almost as bad as Shanny hitching his reputation to Rex Grossman and John Beck.

Here’s how bad Banks has been:

In the Redskins last 5 games Banks has 4 rushes for 7 yards and 5 receptions for negative 4 yards. That’s 9 offensive touches and a total of 3 yards. Jamie Mottram could do better.

Banks has 7 receptions for 7 yards this season. Grant Paulsen is more elusive as a Wide Receiver.

Banks has zero kick returns in 40% of the Redskins games this season…so the 1 thing he does well is pretty much non-existent do to the new rules.

Banks punt return stats in 40% of this season’s games: negative 3 yards, negative 1 yard, negative 4 yards and 1 yard. Again, the one thing he does well has been neutralized. Kevin Ewoldt can do better.

Banks has 1 TD in 231 career touches, I’m pretty sure I can score a TD with 231 touches.

Banks hasn’t scored a regular season TD since October of 2010.

Banks has 20 career offensive touches totaling 70 yards and ZERO TD’s. 3.5 yards per touch.

Banks seems to fumble out of bounds at the end of every play.

It’s time to move on from the “Speedy” Banks era. Give Niles Paul a chance to return kick-offs and put Santana Moss back on punt returns. Let Ewoldt, Mottram or Paulsen take the offensive reps, we can’t do any worse.

I’ m begging you Wooden Teeth, please take all of the Banks plays out of the playbook. While you’re at it take the TE reverse and option plays out of there…use them all as kindling. Maybe throw the ball downfield again, great things seem to happen when you do.

Cheers and Hail

The Redskins: What A Difference A Year Makes

A year ago today the Redskins lost to the Eagles 20-13 in a game that featured 4 Rex Grossman interceptions. Grossman’s performance prompted fans and the media to spark a quarterback controversy…was it time to bench Rex for John Beck? Yes folks, a year ago today we were debating which of these horrible quarterbacks should be our starting quarterback. Either way we were going to lose, pick your poison.

I think I nailed the debate in this post that I wrote last October entitled “Becked If We Do, Becked If We Don‘t.” I even foreshadowed a 5 win season and asked for Andrew Luck. I’ve never had much luck, which fortunately for Redskins fans resulted in Robert Griffin III. And while the Redskins have the same 3-3 record as this time last year, a lot has changed since the John Beck era.

The Redskins actually led the Vikings by 19 points last Sunday. A 19 point lead…I didn’t know how to act! Of course they’re still the Redskins so they nearly lost the lead and I had to bite my nails until the end. The Redskins had never had a lead that large under Mike Shanahan. In fact, the Skins had failed to score more than 19 points in 17 out of 32 games under Shanny.

RGIII ran for 138 yards and 2 TD’s against the Vikings. Last year, our “wonder twins” (activate, form of a sucky QB) combined to rush for 54 yards…for the season. Yes, instead of arguing over which QB sucks less, Redskins fans can now argue about our QB being the best player in the league. Amazing.

And while I’m not ready to think that this team is ready to contend for a playoff spot, I’m incredibly excited about the Skins future. I’m happy to know that I’m not even a year into a decade of having a franchise QB. That being said, the Skins could be a playoff team this season if the defense gets straightened out. After saying for 3 seasons that the Redskins could be a playoff team if they could just score 20 points a game…now we score 30 and have trouble winning. Thanks Haslett.

What a difference a year makes RGII makes.

Cheers and Hail

Are The Redskins Re-Building? I’m 82% Sure They Are…Thanks To Vinny

This sh*t sandwich Vinny gave me has left a bad taste in my mouth!

Mike Shanahan was introduced as the Head Coach of the Washington Redskins on January 6th 2010, just 3 days after the Redskins finished a 4-12 season under Jim Zorn and 20 days after the hiring of Bruce Allen. The 2009 Redskins had 62 players appear in games during that season, a roster that was compiled by former Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato. A little over 2 short years later, just 11 Redskins remain from the Zorn/Cerrato era. The won-loss record hasn’t changed much but the names on the backs of the jerseys sure have. An amazing 82% of those players are gone.

I guess a good way to describe the roster inherited by Allen and Shanny would be to say “there wasn’t a lot of meat left on the bone.” Of the 46 players that were cut, traded or not re-signed, 26 have yet to play another down in the NFL. Another 12 have barely played or played ineffectively and 2 guys have played at a Pro Bowl level. Here’s a look at all 62 players from 2009.

Still on active roster (11, 18%):

Lorenzo Alexander
Kevin Barnes
Chris Cooley
Fred Davis
Reed Doughty
Graham Gano
DeAngelo Hall
Rob Jackson
Will Montgomery
Santana Moss
Brian Orakpo

Andre Carter
Carlos Rogers

So, by my math it’s safe to say that Shanahan was handed a roster that consisted of over 50% of players that weren’t NFL caliber players. Obviously, the Redskins were in need of rebuilding, whether Shanny wanted to call it that or not. With only 18% of the players left from the Cerrato era, I have to say that the re-build is almost complete. All that’s missing now is Robert Griffin III and some W’s!

Cheers and Hail

And People Think Tebow Blows?

To all the people nationwide who say that Tim Tebow’s not a NFL quarterback and is hard to watch…I say this, have you watched a Washington Redskins game lately? Sure, I know it’s sometimes painful to watch Tebow throw the football, it’s obvious that he’s not a NFL caliber passer. However, it’s hard to argue with the results and on paper he looks a helluva lot better than our Florida Gator, Rex Grossman and our career clipboard holder John Beck. In fact, I’m convinced that Beck is the one who doesn’t belong in the NFL and Grossman doesn’t belong being a NFL starting QB.

Time Tebow now has 5 starts this season. Here’s a look at his stats in comparison to our dynamic duo during the last 5 games:

Tebow: 4W-1L, 6 TD’s passing, 1 Int, 341 yards rushing, 1 TD

Beck, Grossman: 0W-5L, 2 TD’s passing, 10 Int’s, 43 yards rushing, 2 TD’s

Despite his problems throwing the football, Tebow has the 6 TD’s passing in 67 fewer attempts. It should be noted that the Denver Broncos have totally adapted their offense to Tebow’s strengths, something the Redskins have refused to do on defense or offense under Mike Shanahan. Rather than cater to a players strengths or weaknesses the Shanny has continually tried to fit a square peg into a round hole…and the proof is plain to see.

Cheers and Hail

Fred Davis’ Guaranteed $$ Is Going Up In Smoke

Or 6 victories a season?

A report surfaced last Sunday that 11 NFL Players had tested positive under the NFL’s drug policy shortly after the lockout ended. To date, only 2 of the players have been publicly identified and they’re both Redskins. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that Trent Williams and Fred Davis had tested positive for “recreational drugs”. Recreational drugs do not fall under the same category as performance enhancing drugs…so I’m going to make an educated guess that the drug in question is marijuana. Fred Davis was using his offseason to practice running his puff, puff…pass routes.

Now, here’s what’s disturbing to me, and it’s not that Fred Davis (may have) smoked some weed during the lockout. What’s peculiar is that the story was broke by Mike Shanahan‘s go to guy in the media, Adam Schefter. Shanahan and Shefter have a long relationship that dates back to the 90′s when Schefter covered the Broncos for the Denver Post. Schefter even authored Shanny’s book ‘Think Like A Champion’ and word is when Schefter breaks Redskins news it’s directly from Shanahan. Schefter and Shanny are so tight that they are rumored to vacation together. So, did Shanny sell out his own players? It’s reasonable to believe given the history between Schefter and Shanny and the fact that none of the other 9 players who tested positive have been identified.

What reason would Shanny have to leak this information? Well…Fred Davis will be a free agent after this year and he’s having a breakout season. Fred Davis stands to make a lot of money. Leaking this information puts up a smoke screen (serious pun intended) that could scare off potential suitors. If Davis is enrolled the leagues substance program and is a strike away from being suspended for a period of time teams may shy away from signing him or overpaying for him. My guess is this leak will at the very least cost Davis several million dollars in guaranteed money.

It’s not as if this would be below Shanahan to do. He had no problems airing dirty laundry about Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth. Just last week Shanahan publicly took a shot at Anthony Armstrong stating that if he couldn’t start separating in press coverage it was time for him to start coaching. I’m not sure it’s time for Armstrong to start coaching but I do believe it’s time for Shanahan to start concentrating more on coaching and less on playing mind games with his players and the media.

Cheers and Hail