Washington Redskins

By Greg Trippiedi Matchup #3: Clinton Portis vs. Antonio Pierce, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Gerris Wilkinson Matchup #5: Santana Moss, Malcolm Kelly, and Antwaan Randle El vs. James Butler, Sammy Knight, and Kenny Phillips Advantage Redskins. Advantage Redskins. Redskins/Giants Final Verdict

By Anthony Brown The Skins held Peterson to 27 yards on nine attempts and jumped to a 25-0 lead, forcing the Vikes to pass to win. The 32-21 win over the Vikings and victory over Dallas the following week gave the Redskins the improbable finish to a wrenching season. Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson burst on t...

 MA - By Anthony Brown | June 29th, 2008 Left tackle Chris Samuels and middle linebacker London Fletcher-Baker are the two highest ranked Redskins on Madden 2009. ...

By Anthony Brown Madden Football is more than a popular video football game. It’s a simulation with players ranked by skills and teams by attributes, based on the run-up of their players. Washington and Cleveland will meet at FedEx Field on October 19.

By Anthony Brown The NFL Network previewed the Washington Redskins 2008 season. Rod Woodson and Rich Eisen noted that the schedule makers might have favored the Redskins by having them host division rivals Eagles, Giants and Cowboys late in the season.

By Anthony Brown Chief Zee, the Washington Redskins most recognized fan, swamped Swoop, the official mascot of the Philadelphia Eagles in the Most Fierce Sports Mascot Competition on sportsline.com. Check out new Clinton Portis characters previewed this week by the NFL Network when Portis was the gue...

By Anthony Brown Portis is guest analyst on NFL Access on the NFL Network at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Rookie head coach Jim Zorn is “clearly in charge ” of the Washington Redskins, according star running back Clinton Portis who is the guest analyst on the NFL Network Monday and Tuesday. Portis said he and a number of Skins...

By Anthony Brown The Redskins clinched a playoff berth with that win. The win was the team’s fifth straight and was propelled by hard running by Clinton Portis.   The NFL Network will broadcast a replay of the 2005 week 17 Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles game at 11:00 p.m. EDT tonight. The Redski...

By Greg Trippiedi Matchup #3: Clinton Portis vs. Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley, and Chris Gocong Matchup #5: Santana Moss, Malcolm Kelly, and Antwaan Randle El vs. Brian Dawkins and Quentin Mikell Advantage Redskins. Redskins/Eagles Final Verdict

By Anthony Brown Those crazy kids over at Cold Hard Football Facts listed the Washington Redskins as the seventh greatest NFL franchise of all time. Ranked ahead of the Skins in reverse order are the: Oakland Raiders; San Francisco 49ers; Chicago Bears; New York Giants; Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Pack...

By Greg Trippiedi This is a sizable advantage for the Dallas Cowboys. Matchup #3: Clinton Portis vs. Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, and Zach Thomas Matchup #5: Santana Moss, Malcolm Kelly, and Antwaan Randle El vs. Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin Advantage Redskins.

By Greg Trippiedi Prior to the 2008 NFL Draft, Brian Burke over at the Advanced NFL Stats blog did some critical research into historical drafting trends. Since the Washington Redskins had arguably critical needs at both WR and DE going into the draft, I think this is a good time to review his results, and app...

By Anthony Brown Hat tip to ExtremeSkins for pointing me to this story.] The Washington Redskins dominate the Detroit Lions, but does that extend to the battle of the football mascots?  CBS Sportsline.com is running a contest of the Most Fierce NFL Mascots pitting team mascots against each other in a beaut...

By Anthony Brown A story on sports-odds.com has the Dallas Cowboys as the 5-8 betting favorites to take the NFC East this season. The story points out that team owner Jerry Jones has gone all out to bring a Super Bowl title to Dallas while losing minimal talent. Super Bowl Champion New York Giants are 7-2 odds t...

By Anthony Brown I have to give the nod to the owner, too. There is a long list of Drew Rosenhaus clients unhappy with their current contracts. Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, London Fletcher-Baker and Devin Thomas are not among them. (Rookie Thomas is negotiating his first NFL deal with Washington.) 

By Greg Trippiedi RB- Clinton Portis RB- Clinton Portis WR- Antwaan Randle El The Redskins have felt the need to upgrade every skill position since Joe Gibbs took over, and even before this past draft, it’s clear that they have significantly upgraded their skill position players over the last four years.  

By Greg Trippiedi This leaves us: not very certain of any outcome.  It seems like the Redskins are destined for at least four wins and four losses alike.  What happens in the remaining 8 games will determine if the Redskins are a Super Bowl Contender, a contender for the top selection in the 2009 draft, or an ave...

By Anthony Brown Patrick Ramsey left the Redskins after the 2005 season for the New York Jets where he hoped to crack the line-up. He was unable to beat out Kellen Clemens as for the No. 2 spot. He signed with Denver as the back-up quarterback in 2007 where he completed 29 of 48 passses for 262 yards, 1 touchdowns a...

By Greg Trippiedi The Redskins have announced that they have signed Safety Stuart Schweigert earlier this week. ————————————————— Offensive line coach Joe Bugel recently announced that the team would be heading into training camp with Tackle Jon Jansen as the backup Center.  To me this is troubling for a...

By Anthony Brown We don’t know yet which players will be high contributors. We don’t know which practice squad cadets have a real shot at the roster. We don’t know which assistants will be retained after ‘08. Heck, we don’t really know if Jason Campbell, brought here to run a Gibbs’ offense, will excel in J...

By Anthony Brown The NFL Network lists Redskin players Joe Washington and Bobby Mitchell as members of the Top 10 most elusive runners in NFL history. In an era when many sought the persona of “Joe Cool,” no Redskin had a cooler name than “Joe Washington.” Go to NFL.com to see a three minute profile of Wash...

By Greg Trippiedi In 2005, Football Outsiders pegged the Redskins defense as the third best pass defense, and the fourth best overall defense, as rated by DVOA, explained here.  In 2006, the Redskins pass defense measured out as the very worst pass defense in the last decade, and their defense finished las...

By Greg Trippiedi Next offseason, the Redskins will have to address major issues on the defensive line, offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback.  If this is any evidence, the defense could be in trouble in the immediate, as the Redskins ignored it in the draft.  However, both my CBA analysis and roster a...

By Greg Trippiedi If a player is at or past his prime the first time he is allowed to become a free agent, it absolutely changes the purpose of free agency.  No longer would the Redskins be able use free agency as a team building method.  Marcus Washington and Cornelius Griffin would have both been locked up with...

By Greg Trippiedi The Redskins spent heavily on players, veterans, that they wanted to keep in the B & G for the foreseeable future. They gave contract extensions with (somewhat) large bonuses to Todd Collins, Antwaan Randle El, Randy Thomas, Chris Samuels, Santana Moss, and Clinton Portis. The logic...

By Greg Trippiedi So the Redskins have little choice expect to use that cap space on one year deals for vets who can help the team win this year.  I thought I’d scour the FA wire for some players who could improve the Redskins. Takeo Spikes Rob Morris Jason Dunn Rod Coleman

By Greg Trippiedi Players, QBs especially, who play in JUCO are Ill-Equipped to Develop in the NFL Who cares?  The NFL is so timing based that any QB who can throw the ball 30 yards on a rope has as good of an arm as is needed to succeed.  That includes…any serious pro QB prospect.

By Greg Trippiedi 2008 Redskins Roster (Projection)** Clinton Portis Ladell Betts Rock Cartwright Marcus Mason Eric Shelton Fullbacks Santana Moss Antwaan Randle El James Thrash Anthony Mix Malcolm Kelly Devin Thomas Burl Toler Billy McMullen Maurice Mann Horace Gant Tight End 

By Anthony Brown That’s more enticing than the upcoming Redskins Beach Blitz in Virginia Beach with the players.   Occasionally, real news occurs at the Beach Blitz as it did at last year’s Blitz when Clinton Portis wondered aloud why people were making a fuss over Michael Vick and his dogs.

By Greg Trippiedi The really critical part is this: what if he can’t be counted on? The only possible solution the Redskins have at linebacker right now is HB Blades, and Blades probably isn’t experienced enough to succeed in the middle just yet. The Redskins really need Fletcher to stay on the field, but the...

By Anthony Brown The Green Bay Packers released wide receiver Koren Robinson, 6-1, 210, yesterday. I trust he will not show up at Redskins park in a parade of out of work receivers as we saw last season. Redskins chief honcho Vinny Cerrato said that wide receiver Anthony Mix needs to lose about 15 pounds to boo...

By Greg Trippiedi But only one comparison I found really hits home as a similar situation to the Redskins drafting multiple receivers in the first two rounds this year.  I’m talking about the 2003 Cardinals, and their draft that year.  In the first round, the Cards called for Wide Receiver Bryant Johnson, an...

By Anthony Brown “The Redskins’ Malcolm Kelly showed great hands, while their other new receiver, Devin Thomas, showed great speed. Both should expand the Redskins’ offense. Plus, they are big targets, Kelly checking in at 225 pounds and Thomas at 224.”

By Anthony Brown So, where once there was a pipeline to the defense for Buffalo Bills players rejoining Gregg Williams staff, we might now see a fastpath of ex-Seahawks signed to the Redskins offense, at least for a look-see. ...

By Greg Trippiedi The Redskins are the oldest team in the NFL, so it is critical that they get a bunch of players to break out in order to keep the team in the running for the playoffs. Here are five guys who I think will be a lot better in 2008 than they were in 2007:

By Anthony Brown Les Carpenter, Washington Post– Jim Zorn will be his own man as coach, borrowing from Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox and Bobby Ross for inspiration. Zorn Gives Redskins a Much Different Leader Jarrett Bell, USA Today — Jason Campbell’s adaptive nature will help him adjust to the West Coast off...

By Greg Trippiedi But Zorn has total control over how his players will judge him as a coach.  And that is what is next for the Redskins.  This is the time of the season when the Redskin players will decide how good of a coach they have.  This will not only affect team morale, but also will determine how badly free age...

By Anthony Brown Go take a look, but do come back. We’ll leave the door open.   I am remiss not writing about this sooner and must give a hat tip to fellow blogger Skin Patrol over at  Hogs Haven who is ahead of me on this one. I hate when he does that.  Washington’s own Chris Cooley, yes, Capt. Chaos himself, has a b...

By Anthony Brown Analysis, debate and name-calling to follow. The Washington Redskins mini-camp runs this weekend gives us an early look at a team in transition. Answers to many questions will emerge from now through December as Jim Zorn faces his true introduction to coaching on a big stage. Are the Redski...

By Anthony Brown Archuleta was stronger at strong safety playing closer to the line than in deep coverage. Sean Taylor often played out of position in reaction to breakdowns in coverage that I attribute to Archuleta. The defensive collapse was the major contributor to a disaster of a 6-10 season and led to t...

By Anthony Brown The Washington Redskins signed 13 undrafted free agents yesterday, including potential help on the offensive and defensive line. Offensive Linemen Defensive Ends If the NFL still had 12 round drafts, five of the 13 UDFA’s would have been “drafted rookies.”

By Greg Trippiedi The team drafted for value, and it got a pair of values in the second round in Fred Davis and Malcolm Kelly.  If Devin Thomas ends up being the second best receiver in this class, or something of the sort, the Redskins will be fine.  The problem comes if neither Kelly or Thomas reaches their pote...

By Brian Mulholland At #124, the Redskins selected Justin Tryon, a speedy corner from Arizona State.  Tryon is substantially undersized, but has some skills, especially in man coverage.  He is much more physical than his size would indicate.  He probably only projects as a dime or nickel back. 

By Brian Mulholland Day 1 of the Redskins draft was a roller coaster of emotions.  I felt euphoric as the team traded down and got great value, but that lead to substantial disappointment as players I coveted disappeared just before Washington picked, and seemingly lead to the team panicking and making some s...

By Anthony Brown Move and counter-move is happening in the NFC East and it informs the Redskins’ moves at wide receiver. Once again, it’s Washington against the evil empire.   The Cowboys and Giants are clearly trying to get better stopping the pass. The Redskins have other issues on defense. The Super Bo...

By Anthony Brown It’s official. The Washington Redskins are determined to trade their first round draft pick for a wide receiver. The Redskins effort to move the trade is another sign that NFL clubs have a light regard for this year’s first round draftees. 

By Anthony Brown Danny VinZorn must believe the Redskins are one receiver away from the Super Bowl. The Redskins haven’t actually proven that on the field. You can fairly say the Skins are good enough to make the playoffs and maybe win a game, as long as they don’t play the Seahawks. The New England example

By Greg Trippiedi Josh Johnson, San Diego–The Redskins might be able to grab Johnson in the 5th round, if overvalued players such as John David Booty and Colt Brennan get taken ahead of him.  Johnson doesn’t have a great arm, but he seems like an ideal fit for the West Coast offense, and the Redskins may be able...

By Anthony Brown Today’s Washington Post carries the story Campbell Confident He’s Redskins Future. In it, Jason Campbell tells of his conversation with new Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn. Campbell sought the meeting after hearing that the change in coaching might lead to a change in quarterba...

By Anthony Brown Week two features a Monday Night Football contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys on ESPN. Week six features the Giants at the rising Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Week seven features the Browns at the Redskins in a 4:15 game.

By Greg Trippiedi Since the Redskins don’t appear to be headed for a 4-0 September, October is going to be the absolutely critical month for this team.  The first game in October may be the team’s most important game of the season for a plethora of reasons, and then the Redskins go into a series of games in which...

By Brian Mulholland Sept 28 @4:15 at Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys are a tough assignment at any time, but if the Redskins are struggling with the new offense, and reeling from a tough first two games, this is not a great way to get confidence.  Nov 16 @8:15 vs Dallas Cowboys - Getting Dallas at home, after the bye is...

By Brian Mulholland The team should seek a two-way defensive end large enough to hold up against the run, but whom is a strong enough pass rusher to contribute seriously when teams pass on early downs.  This player need not be a better pass rusher than Wilson or Washington (though that would be desirable), bu...

By Anthony Brown Jim Zorn will debut his west coast offense in his inaugural exhibition game. That extra game is an advantage for the Redskins who can use the extra work on transitioning from the down field passing / power running game that’s been the team’s trademark since before Joe Gibbs first tour.

By Anthony Brown Hat tip to Skin Patrol over at Hog Haven who points to David Elfin’s interview of Daniel Snyder appearing in today’s the Washington Times. Elfin tracked down the elusive Washington Redskins owner in Palm Beach at the NFL owner’s meeting.

By Anthony Brown Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night, nor questionable moves by controversial owners can keep Washington fans away from their Redskins. The NFL Draft is held in New York, but the Redskins are holding a draft day party at FedEx Field. Admission is free — you don’t often hear that from th...

By Brian Mulholland Given Santana Moss’ lengthy injury track record (I sometimes wonder if his doctor gets back sprains when pulling his medical file), and the likelihood of more 3+ WR sets in the new offense, it is imperative that the Redskins go at least 3 deep with capable WRs, and going 4 deep would probabl...

By Greg Trippiedi The Seahawks did take a lot of hits to their depth chart this offseason, but managed to lock up the core of their team for the forseeable future.  They invested a lot of money at the RB position, fueling speculation that Shaun Alexander may be released.  The defense is generally young, but is r...

By Greg Trippiedi Now that Rock Cartwright is back on board, the Redskins will return every player who threw a pass, or carried the ball in 2007 (well, at least all offensive backs that did any of the above).  The team will look for a rebound year from both Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts, continued progressio...

By Anthony Brown Marcus Washington to miss the season. No, not our Marcus Washington, but the Marcus Washington who plays defensive lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs. The headline freaked me out when I read it. I’m listing it here because I learned that site traffic goes up when I mention “Marcus Washingt...

By Greg Trippiedi The Redskins just picked up Defensive Tackle Matthias Askew off the trash heap; Askew was with the team last preseason.  With the price tag coming down on guys like Rod Colman, Ian Scott, and Darrion Scott (no relation), the Redskins may sniff around them.  Ian Scott played for Greg Blache i...

By Greg Trippiedi If the Washington Redskins decide to look towards improving the safety position in the third round, they will likely target Notre Dame’s Tom Zbikowski, or Tennessee’s Jonathon Heffney.  Sleeper mid-round prospects at safety include Arizona State’s Josh Barrett, and Arkansas State’...

By Brian Mulholland The Coryell offense has been a staple here in the nation’s capital. 22 of the past 26 years have featured a Washington Redskins offense called by a coach off of the Coryell coaching tree, be it Al Saunders, Joe Gibbs or Norv Turner. The team’s records in those 4 other years were 4-12, 8-8, 7-9, ...

By Greg Trippiedi The Redskins find themselves in an envious position during the 2008 season.  The team will not have any young players who will necessitate a new contract before the end of the season.  All of the young talent on the team is restricted to the Redskins through at least the 2009 season.