Hail to the Redskins Hail Victory

By Rich Tandler
Redskins Blogger
CSNwashington.com
 
A quick take on ten Redskins topics of interest:
 
1. Reed Doughty will be starting at free safety by midseason, if not sooner. That is not necessarily based on anything I have seen wrong with Kareem Moore, who has been lining up with the first team for most of the offseason. Doughty, however, is too smart to keep on the sideline. He’s the kind of player who doesn’t look very impressive coming off of the bus, but the coaches love him.

2. When I first talked to Trent Williams at the Combine, I thought he was cocky, bordering on arrogant. Perhaps that was due to him being a little tight in the high-pressure environment of the Combine, or maybe I just got the wrong vibes. But that first impression was wrong. Certainly, he is confident—a rookie who is going to be starting left tackle in the NFL has to be. But he is far from arrogant. At his first minicamp, he told the story of his very first play when the rest of the offense was moving while he was still in his three-point stance. A player with too healthy an ego does not tell that tale. By all indications he is working hard and fitting in.

3. Dan Snyder is now doing the things that an NFL owner should do. He’s presenting scholarships, lobbying for a Super Bowl, and staying out of the way of Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan. I was talking to Allen about the McNabb deal, and he recalled that he called Snyder in the morning to tell him about the deal that would be announced that night. Snyder said, “Why are you telling me this? If it’s a good deal, do it.” To be sure, the Redskins have not lost a game yet under Shanahan and Allen, and Snyder’s patience may have its limits should the team fail to improve. But for right now, Snyder is staying hands off.

4. Speaking of the Super Bowl, there is no reason to think that the D. C. area won’t be able to land one at some point. It’s been said that the chances are dependent on how the New York-New Jersey Super Bowl fares, but that shouldn’t be the case. Washington is 250 miles south of New York and its winter climate, as a general rule, is much milder. In February, it’s typically warmer with less snow in Washington than it is in New York. While only a handful of Redskins season ticket holders would be able to attend the game, FedExField would have to be spruced up to host the game, a long-term benefit for all.

5. We’ll get into upcoming training camp battles in detail as late July draws closer, but one to keep an eye on will be Justin Tryon vs. Philip Buchanon for the nickel back spot. With as many three wide receiver sets as teams now play, the third cornerback is practically a starting position. This is a classic competition between a veteran trying to show that he still has it against a younger player who wants to prove that the team can rely on him to play a key role. Adding to the stakes is the fact that Carlos Rogers will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and the winner may well have the inside track to claiming Rogers’ job in 2011 should he depart.

6. Another competition to watch will be for the starting right guard job. Mike Williams hopes to complete his career comeback, after being out of football for three years, by taking the starting job there. Chad Rinehart is trying to show that his selection in the third round two years ago was justified. This is another youth against experience battle. Williams will have to show that he can execute in the zone-blocking scheme; Rinehart will have to stay on the field and respond to the coaching staff.

7. Terrence Austin, the Redskins’ seventh-round draft pick, is going to have some serious catching up to do. UCLA is on a quarters system, and the academic calendar doesn’t conclude until June 11. NFL rules prohibit a player who has not graduated from attending OTA’s until the school year is complete. The good news is that Austin will get his degree later this week. The bad news is that he will be way behind the curve when it comes to learning the offense and special teams schemes. Austin will be spending a lot of time at Redskins Park between the last minicamp session next week and the start of training camp in late July.

8. I think that the Redskins will stand pat at wide receiver, even if Santana Moss ends up sitting out part of the season due to the HGH allegations surrounding him. They may keep a sixth receiver on the roster if Moss ends up being suspended, but I don’t see them bringing in a Terrell Owens or anyone else. They will treat it just as though Moss had a sprained ankle and work with the group they have.

9. The depth on the offensive line is not a whole lot better than it was last year. As of now, the backups from left to right are Stephon Heyer, Paul Fanaika, Will Montgomery, Rinehart, and William Robinson. Unless players like Fanaika, Kory Lichtensteiger, and rookie Selvish Capers show some promise quickly, Allen and Shanahan will be perusing the waiver wires in search of quality depth up until the start of the season.

10. The whole Brian Westbrook saga is getting rather odd. For one thing, it is unusual for Shanahan to publicly lobby for any player to accept a contract offer as he did earlier in the week. Westbrook was supposed to have decided the week before last; now another week has passed since then, and he still has not decided. Maybe he wants to wait until OTA’s and minicamps are over, but he’s going to need that time to learn the offense of whatever team he signs with. It’s unlikely that his contract will carry much guaranteed money, and he’ll have to make the team to make it worthwhile. I think that the chances are that he will end up with the Redskins, but the longer this drags out, the more up in the air the whole thing becomes.
 
Rich Tandler has been following the Redskins since 1966, and he blogs about the team at RealRedskins.com. He has written three books on the team including Gut Check, The Glory Days of Coach Joe Gibbs Washington Redskins 1981-1992.  For details on this and on Rich’s other available titles, visit www.RichTandler.com. You can reach Rich by email at rich.tandler+csn@gmail.com.

 

Category: NFL

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I think he's a changed man.

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One of his many defining moments, the Bears playoff game in '87.

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