Draft Analysis: Washington Redskins

By Ben Linton

The Washington Redskins came into the 2010 NFL Draft as a wild card team to no surprise. Nobody knew what the Redskins would do with the 4th pick; draft an offensive lineman, a glaring weakness of the team last year, draft a quarterback to be mentored by Donovan McNabb, or trade the pick all together to make up for the lack of second to third round picks. Well, everyone seemed surprised when the Redskins did exactly what they should have by drafting Trent Williams, offensive tackle out of Oklahoma at No. 4.

Coming into the draft, many people regarded Russell Okung from Oklahoma State as the best tackle in the draft, or most complete. But Washington decided to go with the more atheltic and more potential upside in Williams. He stands 6 foot 5, 315 pounds, and fits Mike Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme very well. This was regarded by many as a risky pick, but i think that the Redskins obviously upgraded on the offensive line, regardless of who they picked. Williams could possibly start out at left or right tackle, and remember that there will be a tremendous amount of pressure on this guy to produce, being the first pick of the Allen-Shanahan era and hopeful savior of the offensive line.

There was a huge gap between the Redskins first and second pick, from number four all the way to number 103 in the 4th round. Here the Skins selected Perry Riley, and Outside Linebacker out of LSU. He will probably play on the inside of the Redskins 3-4 defense, and coming from the SEC where defenses are always tough, this seems like a logical pick. London Fletcher won’t play forever, so eventually you need to find a possible replacement, and maybe Riley is the guy. In the 6th round Washington took Dennis Morris, a Tight End from Louisiana Tech, which is kind of a head scratcher which has led to one conclusion: Either Chris Cooley or Fred Davis will not be with the Redskins next year. Davis showed a lot last year filling in for Cooley, and was arguably the best receiver on the team when he played. The Redskins basically have two number one tight ends on their team, and will have to decide which one they want to go with in the future.

The rest of the picks were Terrence Austin, WR from UCLA, Eric Cook, OG from New Mexico, and Selvish Capers, OT from West Virginia. A Wide Reciever makes sense due to the departure of Antwaan Randel-El and the aging of Santana Moss, and any pick on the offensive line sounds good to me since it was such an achilles heel last season. To me, it seems as if the Redskins have filled all of their holes with this draft, it just remains to be seen if they have done so with the right personnel. Only time will tell.

The last and final splash the Redskins made was trading Quarterback Jason Campbell to Oakland for a fourth round pick in the 2012 Draft. It was obvious that this would happen since the Redskins had traded for Donovan McNabb and Campbell seemed on his way out. I think that the Redskins got good value for Campbell and were smart by sending him far away to Oakland, a place where if he resurrects his career he won’t hurt the Skins. Campbell was coming off his best statistical season with arguably the worst offensive line he has had, and will likely challenge JaMarcus Russell for the starting spot. I wish Jason the best of luck as he tries to have some success with the Raiders.

Happy trails…

It seems like Jason Campbell is finally on the move. But to where?

By Ben Linton

Since it was inevitable that after the Donovan McNabb trade that Jason Campbell would be taking his business elsewhere. Campbell recently signed a tender with Washington, paying him 3.1 million for the season, allowing him to be traded soon. Hopefully the Skins can get at least a third or fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft for Campbell. Possible destinations? That’s for you the reader to decide:

Campbell Will Be Back

By Ben Linton

According to new head coach Mike Shanahan, Quarterback Jason Campbell will be back in D.C. next season. Campbell will be a free agent come March 1st, and the Redskins are expected to offer him around $3.2 million and would require a first and third round pick from another team to let him go.

This basically guarantees that you will see number 17 back in burgundy and gold next season. Whether or not he will have some competition is a different story. The Redskins have the fourth pick overall, and could possibly draft a quarterback like Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford.

However that is not the route I’d prefer the team to go in. Campbell threw for 3,618 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, with a completion percentage of 64.5%. He also was sacked 43 times, which was one of the highest in the league. I truly believe that if Campbell is given more protection up front he can do big things for the Skins. A lot will be decided come April during the NFL Draft.

Shanahan declined to comment on the future of Running Back Clinton Portis, who is currently 28 years old and was lost for the season in Week 9. It seems as though his days in Washington may be numbered, which will make for a very interesting off-season in Washington with a new sheriff in town.

Redskins Win!!!

By Ben Linton

Do you believe in miracles? Yes!! Well, maybe it wasn’t that important, but it does feel good to finally blog about the Washington Redskins in a positive manner. Today, they beat the Denver Broncos (6-3) by a score of 27-17 in a total team effort. They battled back from early mistakes and were able to pull of the upset against a formidable opponent. So there will be no Good, Bad, and Ugly this week, because its all good right now in D.C. Here are a few key stats though:

• This win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Redskins (3-6)
• 27 points is the highest total for Washington since week 2 of last season (29). This was the first time they score 20+ points all year, and it was against the NFL’s third-ranked defense.
  
• Jason Campbell threw for 193 yards on 17 of 26 attempts for one touchdown and hit ten different recievers. The most important stat? NO TURNOVERS.
• Running Backs Ladell Betts (114 yds, td) and Rock Cartwright (41 yards) carried to load for the injured Clinton Portis as Washington ran for 174 yards, the best effort of the season.
  
• Take away the 115 yards on the two big plays to Brandon Marshall, and the Defense only gave up 190 yards of total offense. Good job of staying strong throughout the game.
  

The Broncos have now lost three straight, all to very physical teams (Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Washington). As a Redskins fan/blogger, this is just a great feeling to finally pull one out after weeks and weeks of disappointment. Hopefully the Skins can keep it up, because they roll into Dallas next weekend for a big rivalry game.

 

Turnovers Haunt Redskins

By Ben Linton

The Philadelphia Eagles scored 13 points off of three Washington Redskin turnovers as they defeated the Redskins 27-17 on Monday Night Football. This loss puts  Washington at 2-5 for the season and sends Philadelphia home with a 4-2 record. Here is the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from week 7:

The Good

1. Other than two electric plays by DeSean Jackson, The defense stifled the Eagles offense throughout the night. They were constantly put in bad position after turnovers and a stagnant offense, but continued to fight and never gave up. They seem to be the only bright spot on this team. They really only gave up 14 of the points scored by Philadelphia.

2. After Chris Cooley got injured early in the first half, Fred Davis stepped up and caught eight balls for  78 yards and a touchdown. New Offensive Play Caller Sherman Lewis did a good job of getting the ball to the tight end; Cooley’s numbers should increase due to this change. The play calling cannot be blamed for this loss, at some point the players have to go out there and execute what is called.

The Bad

1. I guess benching Jason Campbell the previous week did not influence him to come out and play well. He threw one interception for a touchdown, fumbled deep in his own territory to set up a field goal, and got sacked plenty of times. Although the offensive line is not a standout bunch, Campbell is still taking too much time to make decisions when the blitz comes. Some of the sacks were on him.

2. Antwaan Randel El has continued to be a dud on the punt return unit; He bobbled another punt and gave Philadelphia the ball in the red zone. This led to a Philadelphia field goal, and was at a key point when momentum was shifting in the Redskins direction with the score 17-7.

The Ugly:

1. On Monday Night Football there was a great stat about Daniel Snyder. Since taking over the franchise in 1999, here’s what the Redskins have done:

• 78-88 record (10 seasons)
  
• 3 winning seasons
• 3 playoff appearances
• 6 head coaches
• 10 quarterbacks

In order to be a successful franchise, one must have stability at the head coach and quarterback position. Until this situation gets solved, the Redskins will continue to struggle.

Jason Campbell to Start vs. Eagles

By Ben Linton

Even though he threw from 89 yards and an interception in one half against the worst defense in the NFL, Jason Campbell will be given a chance to redeem himself on Monday Night Football when the Redskins host the Philadelphia Eagles. He was benched after the first half against the Chiefs, and was replaced by Todd Collins who did not fare much better. Since Jim Zorn will not be calling plays in favor of Sherman Lewis, the Redskins may want some stability at Quarterback with all the other shifts surrounding the offense. It will be very interesting to see how this fares.

Another report says that Jim Zorn almost resigned after his play calling duties were stripped from him following Sunday’s loss. This was brought forth by Steve Largent, a hall-of-fame wide receiver who played with Zorn and still remains in contact with him. Largent claims that this was an attempt to get Zorn to resign, and he says Jim would not do that. Largent also explained, “The formula that the Redskin owner and the Redskin general manager have for producing a winner on the field is not a winning formula, meaning they can’t make all the decisions on the coaches and the personnel and then hire some guy off the street to be the head coach and win with what they put on the field. Because it doesn’t work…That has been proven for 10 years in a row. … The failure of the Redskins is not about Jim Zorn. The failure of the Redskins starts above him, above his level.”

I agree with Largent’s statement 100%. Even though Zorn has not been successful at all as a play caller, its better than someone who has been forced out of retirement and around the team for only two weeks to be calling plays. I mean nobody really even knows who this guy is. There’s no way that the Redskins will succeed with this formula; this is just a recipe for disaster. I don’t even see the Redskins scoring a point on Monday Night, and they might become the laughing stock of the NFL. If the front office wanted Zorn gone, they should have just done it then and there instead of trying to take everything away from him bit by bit. The only thing this organization can do right now is make headlines, and last time I checked publicity does not equal wins.

Redskins Lose, Campbell Benched, Zorn Probably Fired

By Ben Linton

Washington Redskins’ nation is in a state of disbelief, dismay, and disdain as they saw their beloved Redskins lose 14-6 to the previously winless Kansas City Chiefs this sunday. Seem familiar? Washington has given three teams their first win of the season. Now this will be the longest week in D.C., as the Redskins (2-4) will most likely have a new coach and new quarterback for next week’s game. But first let us reflect on what was the worst loss of season: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Week 5.

The Good

1. The Defensive Line and pressure was tremendous, as Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was sacked five times. Defensive End Andre Carter registered two sacks for consecutive games, and Rookie Brian Orakpo has recorded a sack in four straight contests. He is making a case for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Bad

1. The Special Teams was not impressive at all today. Punter Glen Pakulak had one put blocked, which Kansas City could not convert into points. But Kansas City capitalized on a 15-yard facemask penalty by Safety Kareem Moore on a punt return that set up a go-ahead field goal to put Kansas City in the lead 9-6. Antwaan Randel El has continued to struggle on punt returns, gaining eight yards on three returns for an average of 2.7 per return. Randel El has only 38 yards on six punt returns this year, and dances around way to much instead of trying to just cut it up field and get what he can.

The Ugly

1. This very well may have been Jason Campbell’s last game as Washington Redskins’ Quarterback. He was 9 of 16 on passes with 89 yards and an interception in the first half, and was benched for the rest of the game. I am known to be one of  Campbell supporters, but with this game I am ready to move on. He is just not an NFL Quarterback: He can’t make quick reads, gets nervous and plays scared, and doesn’t take chances.  Todd Collins played the whole second half, and connected with Reciever Santana Moss on a 42 yards on his first pass, and led the Redskins to two scores on his first two drives. Yet the Redskins scored six points against the worst defense in the NFL. He will most likely be the starter the rest of the way.

So this season has begun to rear its ugly head, and the light at the end of the tunnel flickers dimly. Today the Redskins played like the worst team in the NFL, and in fact make a good case to be the worst team in the NFL, regardless of their record. Their two wins have come against teams with a combined record of 0-12, and have lost to three teams that previously were winless. The Washington Redskins have some of the best players in the NFL. But they have one of the worst teams. So who is to blame?

In my opinion it is the ownership of the Washington Redskins that has been the problem for this debacle. Instead of developing talent and drafting well, the Redskins trade all their picks for big name players or spend all their money at signing players like Albert Haynesworth, DeAngelo Hall, Jason Taylor, Adam Archuleta, Jeremiah Trotter, Dana Stubblefield, Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, the list goes on and on.

With only two good seasons under his belt and an injury-laden past, was Albert Hanyesworth worth 100 million dollars?

Then they hire Jim Zorn. A man who has never head coached in the NFL, let alone been a coordinator. Then they think he can handle the burden of being the Quarterbacks Coach, play caller, and Head Coach? I think not. I think Jim Zorn is a great guy, but he is an awful coach. With all the weapons that he has and the reputation he was given, the Redskins should be doubling the numbers on offense that they have right now. Zorn might as well just dig himself a ditch to hide in until Snyder calls him up and brings him into his office to let him know that he has been fired. Its a shame that you can’t fire the owner when your team is all screwed up, but instead they’ll run the coach and quarterback out of town, even though they deserve it.

Dumb and Dumber

So I know that most Redskins’ fans will give up on the season and I don’t blame ‘em. 2009 will probably go down as the worst underachieving and dramatic meltdown in the past decade of any NFL team. This week will be very interesting, and i’m sure that I will be back to discuss and report the ongoing drama that is the Washington Redskins.

For Redskins Tale of Two Halves, Orioles End Season On a High Note

By Ben Linton

After trailing 10-0 in the first half to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Washington Redskins used a 16-point 3rd quarter to come from behind to win 16-13. The Redskins are now 2-2 and tied with the Dallas Cowboys for third place in the NFC East. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from week 4.

Good:

1. Jason Campbell (second half) – After an atrocious start, Campbell came out firing in the second half, throwing for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. He found Chris Cooley in the end zone for a 17 yard strike (not to mention a red zone touchdown!) and hit Santana Moss on a beautiful bomb that went for 59 yards. This was the second week in a row these two connected for a touchdown of over 50 yards and they are starting to show flashes of big play potential that has been lacking recently.

2. Defense- The D came up big today, only allowing 13 points and forcing two key turnovers. De’Angelo Hall had a big interception early in the 3rd quarter that led to a field goal and Chris Horton recovered a fumble caused by Jeremy Jarmon to seal the win. The Defense also forced Tampa Bay to kick a field goal when they got inside the 20 with four minutes to go. Reed Doughty had a great game at safety, leading the team with 11 tackles. They also corrected mistakes from the previous game, only allowing Tampa to convert 2 of 13 third down coversions, far better than last week.

Bad/Ugly:

1. Jason Campbell/The Redskins (first half)- Although he got praise in the first segment, he’s not getting so lucky here. Campbell threw two interceptions (both to Aqib Talib) and lost a fumble in the first half. I don’t think you can get much worse than that. Also, the Redskins have been shut out in the first half in their last two contests, and not against very stingy defenses either. Sooner or later they might find themselves into a hole they can’t dig out of.

Next up for Washington is the 0-3 Carolina Panthers, who had a bye this week. The game is in Carolina and at 1:00 on FOX. Expect another close matchup.

In other news, the Baltimore Orioles finished the 2009 season on a 4-game win streak, as they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in the 11th inning. This gives the Birds a final record of 64-98, as they avoided a 100-loss season. Although this is still terrible, its good to see the guys end on a high note, and maybe they can build on this momentum heading into next season. Manager Dave Trembley is back, and the rebuilding year is over. Nobody really expected much of the Orioles this year as they were breaking in young players, but now that they have matured, winning next season will be mandatory.

Dumbfounded in Detroit

By Ben Linton

It was bound to happen: The Detriot Lions snapped a 19-game losing streak and won this Sunday. Too bad it was against the Redskins. But a 13 point first half defecit was too much for Washington to overcome as they gave the Lions their first win since 2007. Once again, the good the bad and the ugly from week 3.

The Good:

Hard to say that anything was really that good, but slumping Santana Moss got back on track this season by hauling in a 57 yard touchdown pass and finished with 10 catches and 178 yards. Also, say what you want about him, but Jason Campbell threw for 34o yards and 2 touchdowns (one interception). He was not the reason that Washington lost this game.

The Bad:

Once again, Washington could not get anything going on the ground as Portis struggled with only 42 yards rushing. He has yet to find the end zone this year and this could become a huge problem for the Skins. Also, the Redskins D could not stop Lions running back Kevin Smith, as he ran for over 100 yards and averaged over 5 yards per carry. The Redskins made a couple of dumb plays, such as Campbell fumbling numerous times, crucial penalties that killed drives and helped the Lions score.

The Ugly:

The Redskins still could not score when in the red zone. On their first drive, the Skins drove all the way down to the 1 yard line and went for it on fourth and goal but could not get in. I like the call by Jim Zorn to go for it because it shows the aggression and faith he has in the O Line. It just wasn’t meant to be. The Offense and Defense both struggled mightily on third downs. The D gave up 10 of 18 3rd down conversions, and the Offense only managed to convert 2 of 10. But most importantly the Redskins lost to a team with a 19-game losing streak. Just unacceptable.

Although many people in Washington will begin to panic (including owner Daniel Snyder), patience will be the key with this team. It is only Week 3, and its not like the Lions were going to never win a football game this season, they will have more wins this season. This upcoming game against the Buccaneers is very important for the Skins, they can bounce back and break even at .500 next week with a win. Although it hurts bad right now, its not the end of the world. Congradulations to the Detriot Lions, you deserve it.

Redskins in the Win Column

By Ben Linton

It was sloppy, ugly, and gritty. But at the end of the day, the Washington Redskins won their first game of 2009. They beat the St. Louis Rams, who have been a thorn in the Redskins side the past couple years by a score of 9-7 at Fed Ex Field on Sunday. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from week 2.

The Good:

1. Of course Shaun Suisham, whose three field goals (21,28,23) were the Skins only scores and the difference in the game.

2. Washington’s pass rush, although they only recorded one sack, was exceptional. They were in Marc Bulger’s face all day and forced him into  making tough passes and was hit five times.

3. Jason Campbell looked sharp against the Rams. He found Chris Cooley seven times for 83 yards and passed for 242 yards on 23 completions. He had a couple nice scrambles when the play broke down as well.

The Bad:

1. It looks like Guard Randy Thomas (right tricep) will be out for a while, which could possibly shake up the Offensive Line. This means Guard Will Montgomery will have to step up in his place. It is imperative that the O Line stays healthy this year, because it killed Washington in the latter portion of the season last year.

The Ugly:

1. Four red zone possessions, three field goals, one turnover, zero touchdowns. The Redskins have scored one touchdown in eight quarters so far this season. Enough said.

Although many Redskins fans would have liked to have seen the Redskins win in a more flashy fashion, the result is still the same. The Redskins are 1-1 and travel to Detroit next week to take on the lowly Lions. But, expect a close game as today showed that anybody can beat anybody, almost.