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Call me crazy, but I say that if the Redskins do not make the playoffs in 2010, it has to be considered a disappointment. As a matter of fact, barring injury problems and other things beyond the control of the players and coaches, anything less than 8-8 would be considered a failure.
What about the Albert Haynesworth distraction you ask?
Well, the Redskins want Haynesworth, but don’t need him. Despite what is commonly reported, the Redskins want Haynesworth to play defensive end, not nose tackle.
The reason is that in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ version of the 3-4 that they will be running, NT is not a pass-rushing position but right-defensive end (RDE) can be if you have the right player.
The Redskins are very intrigued to see if Haynesworth is that sort of player, and create nightmares for teams who would have to block him at RDE and Brian Orakpo at left outside linebacker.
They want to try it badly enough to wait and see if Haynesworth will eventually report. If he doesn’t, the Redskins have options to plug a traditional RDE in his spot.
So call Haynesworth a bonus, but not a need.
Moving on from there, this is how I arrive at the fact that the Redskins will contend for a playoff spot. Last season, the Redskins won four games. This is not because the Redskins were absolutely dreadful of bereft of talent. Instead, the Redskins were lacking competence and leadership in key positions: head coach, offensive line and quarterback.
Now at QB, I admit to being a supporter of and apologist for Jason Campbell, and believe that he will do well for himself in Oakland, where his early reviews have been positive. But in Washington, his play and leadership just wasn’t good enough, often because he seemed to be trying to make sure that if the team lost he wouldn’t get blamed for it.
So, in critical situations he wouldn’t get rid of the ball quickly enough and wouldn’t throw down-field. He seemed content to allow the problems with the OL, WRs and play-calling suffice as excuses as opposed to trying to overcome those problems with his play.
But in Donovan McNabb, the Redskins have a legitimate Pro Bowl caliber QB who has been overcoming things like bad WRs, an even worse running game, overrated and under-performing OLs and questionable play-calling and strategy for basically his entire career.
So many people seem (or want) to forget that McNabb only had Terrell Owens for ONE of his five trips to the NFC championship game, that he only had a healthy, productive Brian Westbrook (who actually only had a couple of decent seasons actually running the football to begin with) for 3 of his 7 trips to the playoffs, or that the defense that allegedly “carried this team ” fell apart after the 2004 season.
So though I still think that Campbell will wind up being a good NFL QB, in McNabb he was replaced by a QB who already IS a six time Pro Bowler, a QB with 32,873 passing yards and 216 TDs against 100 INTs (by comparison Jay Cutler has 63 INTs already!), and who has at least 5 good years left in him.
Where Campbell needs a good team around him to be effective, McNabb made the Eagles better for his entire career, and will have the same effect on the Redskins.
Next there is the offensive line. The Redskins’ OL has suffered from neglect throughout the entire Snyder/Cerrato regime, and this removed any chance of any QB or RB that the Redskins have played during this time of having any sustained success.
You just aren’t going to succeed without time to throw the football or holes to run the ball through, and it also keeps an offensive coordinator from being able to put in or execute a realistic or effective strategy.
And last year, an already bad OL hit rock bottom due to injuries, which was no surprise as the Redskins had been trying to get by with aging or injured players for years. The Redskins’ OL has been completely remade in one season.
Though he was something of a reach at No. 4 in the draft, he was still definitely a top 10 talent, and Trent Williams will be the starting LT. The ‘Skins traded for the above average Jammal Brown to be the starting RT. And versatile free agent signee Artis Hicks will be the RG. Holdovers Casey Rabach and Derrick Dockery were pretty good at C and LG, and with better players around them will be even more effective.
Former undrafted free agent Stephon Heyer and the aforementioned Mike Williams go from being liabilities at starting LT and RT last season to being reliable subs, and the Redskins added a couple of rookie late round draft picks that are perfect for their scheme.
So, the OL has gone from being the worst in the NFL to being an adequate, almost average OL, one that is certainly about as good as McNabb played behind in some of his Philadelphia playoff runs. (By the way, the idea that McNabb played with a dominating OL in Philadelphia needs to be challenged. Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas were very good, not great at OT, and they had a revolving door at the interior OL spots.)
Then there is the WR corps. Regrettably, the Redskins were unable to upgrade this position appreciably through the draft or free agency, and this position actually took a hit when the serviceable Antwaan Randle-El returned to Pittsburgh. Also, it does not appear that Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly are responding to Shanahan’s system.
Just as before, Kelly lacks the speed, quickness and route-running to get open and Thomas has poor work habits. So, this is a position that Shanahan will address in the draft and free agency in future years. However, focusing on OL this year frees them up to concentrate on WRs going forward.
Also, let us not forget that McNabb went to three NFC title games with guys like Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, James Thrash and Charles Johnson at WR, and his final NFC title game with rookie DeSean Jackson and Hank Baskett as his top two WRs. And remember, this was generally without a running game. Santana Moss is as capable as DeSean Jackson, so either Thomas or Kelly only need to be as good as Baskett.
Further, the Redskins do have two very capable TEs in Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. The key is knowing how to utilize them, which was a major failure of both Jason Campbell and especially of Jim Zorn.
Where Campbell was determined to lean on a bunch of under-performing WRs, McNabb remembers from his early days in Philadelphia how to lean on his TEs. And as for Zorn, he was too rigid to abandon the West Coast Offense and simply play Davis and Cooley at the same time. As a matter of fact, Davis emerged as a player only because: a) play-calling was taken away from Zorn by Vinny Cerrato and b) Chris Cooley got injured.
Mike Shanahan is no Zorn, who was so bad that by the end of his tenure players like Clinton Portis were openly defying his authority. It was not all Zorn’s fault, as he was stuck with a bad roster, and he was originally hired to be the offensive coordinator/QB coach and not the head coach.
Still, similar to Jason Campbell, Zorn was content to stick with his offensive scheme and blame the players (and implicitly Cerrato and Snyder for assembling the team) when things didn’t work rather than doing his best to use the players that he had to win football games.
For instance, Zorn kept Devin Thomas and his size, speed and natural ability on the sidelines because “he didn’t know the playbook,” preferring to stick with guys who weren’t getting open in Antwaan Randle-El and Malcolm Kelly. And Zorn refused to play TEs Fred Davis and Chris Cooley at the same time, even as a response to the Redskins’ OL, WR and QB problems. Again he blamed it on Davis allegedly not knowing the playbook, but the real reason was that 2 TE formations are rarely used in the West Coast Offense.
Zorn also refused to try to come up with game-plans that Campbell could actually execute but stuck with things that exposed his weaknesses and didn’t utilize his strengths, basically hanging a QB that was already unpopular with the fans and front office out to dry.
Campbell didn’t take off, becoming the player that the Raiders ultimately traded for and the Bills and Panthers inquired about (the Panthers would have traded for Campbell had Jimmy Clausen not fallen to them) until Zorn was stripped of his offensive coordinator duties. Upon taking the job, Mike Shannahan immediately declared Devin Thomas as the starting split end, knowing that his ability to actually get open and stretch the field makes him by far the best of a bunch of bad options to start across from Santana Moss.
And the Redskins have worked all off-season on what Zorn refused to try for two seasons, which is packages where Davis and Cooley are both on the field at the same time, including a look where Cooley—and not Malcolm Kelly—lines up at slot WR.
In addition to being a far superior game-planner and strategist whose vertical scheme fits McNabb’s talent better than did Andy Reid’s BYU-style offense ever did anyway, Shanahan will give McNabb the one thing that he never had in Philadelphia even in the Super Bowl season when he had Terrell Owens at WR and a couple of very good TEs: a real running game.
Brian Westbrook, for all his abilities catching the football, returning kicks and breaking long runs, was an oft-injured third down back. Westbrook only surpassed 620 rushing yards 4 times in his career, and one of those was a season which McNabb was injured. Oh yes, and McNabb didn’t even have Westbrook during his entire tenure in Philadelphia.
But with Clinton Portis and his various backups in addition to the Shanahan scheme, McNabb will have a running game that sets up the pass, gets tough yards inside, can convert important third and short and red zone carries, and can pick up the slack when the passing game is ineffective.
In this, McNabb will have what he hasn’t since early in his career when he was the Eagles’ best runner, what Kurt Warner had during his two Super Bowls with the Rams, what Ben Roethlisberger had with the Steelers when he won a Super Bowl with a lowest-ever 22 rating, and what Peyton and especially Eli Manning have had.
Some insist that Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson are shot; those are the ones who do their best to ignore just how bad the Eagles’ running game was at times. But no matter, even if Portis and Johnson are ineffective—which is unlikely—just place tailback as priority No. 2 on the Redskins’ off season list.
Yes, the Redskins won four games last year. But add a Pro Bowl QB to the mix, and that win total should increase by at least three. Otherwise, McNabb is not that much of an upgrade over Jason Campbell. Adding a future Hall of Fame head coach who won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator of the 49ers and two as head coach of the Denver Broncos (making him a better coordinator AND head coach than Zorn) should increase the win total by at least three.
Otherwise, either Shanahan isn’t that good or Zorn wasn’t that much of a disaster. And adding three NFL capable players to the worst offensive line in the NFL should be worth two games.
Now I am not suggesting that the Redskins will or should go 12-4 next season. For one, the Redskins had an easy schedule last season. Their four wins last year, for instance, came against the Rams (barely), Bucs (barely), Broncos and Raiders. Oh yeah, and they lost to the Chiefs, Panthers and Lions.
Also, the teams that they played last year that they also play this season, i.e. their division rivals, will be better. Granted, they went 0-6 in the division last season, but it will be even harder to actually beat the Cowboys and particularly the Giants than it was last year. But if the improved QB, coach and OL don’t add up to 10-6, it is a disappointment, and anything below 8-8 will be a failure.
Otherwise, having a Pro Bowl QB, a Hall of Fame coach, and OTs who can actually play in the NFL aren’t worth a whole lot.
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Saturday afternoon, the Washington Redsksins completed a trade with the New Orleans Saints for former Pro Bowl left tackle, Jammal Brown.
The Redskins sent a conditional draft pick, contingent on the pick they need to send to Philadelphia in the Donovan McNabb trade.
If the Eagles gets a third rounder because McNabb plays well, the Saints get the Redskins’ fourth rounder, and vice versa if McNabb plays poorly.
UPDATE: It was reported after the writing of this article that the Redskins will also receive a conditional late round pick from the Saints. Also, if Brown plays 90 percent of the snaps or makes the Pro Bowl, the Saints receive an additional 6th round pick from the Redskins.
Initial reaction: The Redskins don’t have a third or a fourth-round pick in 2011 and Vinny Cerrato isn’t in charge?
Weird.
On a second glance, however, it looks like the Redskins are in it to win it in 2010 with a talented, but aging, Pro Bowl caliber roster including McNabb, Brown, Portis, and a bevy of other free agents—including many on defense.
These additions may not all be top tier players anymore but will certainly contribute to an overhaul from the West Coast Offense and 4-3 defense, and will provide depth on a team that has longed for it—especially on the offensive line.
Redskins’ fans may be reading this through jaded eyes because of my recent Haynesworth article , so let me be clear.
This is a good trade for Washington.
But, understand one thing.
Drew Brees got Jammal Brown to the Pro Bowl, not the other way around.
Anyone reading this article with a modicum of athletic talent could protect Drew Brees blind side.
In the time it took me to look up modicum to make sure I was using it right, Drew Brees could have thrown nearly a hundred passes. The Saints’ signal caller has a lightning quick release that Jim Zorn has naughty dreams over and decision making not seen this side of Joe Montana.
In short, he makes everyone look good.
That doesn’t mean Brown is bad.
He isn’t, and the Redskins got a steal.
Plus, the coup de grace of the Brown trade is that it improves multiple spots on the line.
Artis Hicks—who I feel is the most unheralded and underrated addition to the Redskins this season—gets to move to a RG position where he can excel, leaving Mike Williams to fight for a position and drive him that much further.
To be honest, if Mike Williams cracks the starting lineup, he could be the best Redskins’ lineman this season. Not saying it will happen, just saying that he has the raw, natural talent to make it so.
A stronger five man front is necessary to further help the development of rookie Trent Williams, who is athletic, but anything but a sure thing at left tackle—a position he only played one (mediocre) year of college ball at.
Brown becomes, in my opinion, the best run blocker on the Redskins’ offensive line and may be better than expected in the zone blocking scheme—a new system, but one he fits perfectly. His ability to block on that second level will be the difference between three yard runs and 10 yard runs for that offense.
The Redskins, as a whole, become a much better rushing team with Brown and Hicks (or Williams). Derrick Dockery and Casey Rabach are both decent linemen, but neither are the type of hog a coach can feel comfortable running behind on third-and-one.
Now, the right side of the line is further legitimized by the addition of Brown.
Furthermore, Brown’s pass protection deficiencies (which would be highlighted by McNabb’s tendency to roll away from even the slightest pressure) will be negated on the right side where he will often have Chris Cooley or Fred Davis protecting him.
In spite of all of this, a chance exists that Trent Williams—again, not a sure thing as much as a prospect with ridiculous upside—flames out in training camp.
No worries.
If that happens, the Redskins will simply flip the two and protect Williams that much more on the right side.
A great move all around.
Except for that draft pick thing.
Although these moves look like gold now, anytime big free agents splashes or trades for veterans are a core part of a rebuilding plan, things can end pretty badly (see: Antwaan Randle-El, Adam Archuleta, Jeremiah Trotter, Albert Haynesworth…)
Now, this is Bruce Allen’s first year in Washington, so the hope exists that this is just a first year overhaul and not his normal modis operandi.
Jettisoning your mid-round picks is fine once in a while when you can get top talent that fits your system like McNabb and Brown, but do it too often and your team is left right where the Redskins have been for a decade.
Afterthoughts in the NFC East.
But, rather than taking any more time to contemplate Allen’s blueprint, know this: The Redskins just acquired a solid offensive tackle in his prime who can do a lot to help the entire offensive line, and solidifies a position group that has been among the shallowest in football since the first time Jon Jansen got up holding a limb.
The Redskins are better on Saturday than they were on Friday, and in football, that means a lot.
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Now don’t get all crazy on me, but what if the 2010 Redskins’ offensive line this season turns out to be, you know…good?
Most Redskins observers—bloggers, media, Cliff Clavins at the bar—have preached for what seems a very a long time that the offensive line has been and remains a glaring team weakness. And given how ugly it has gotten on the field at times, there is still plenty of evidence to support the notion.
The new regime at Redskins Park this offseason certainly seemed to “get it,” saying early on that the lines were going to be a priority. It seemed logical enough to conclude that they would hit the ground running in free agency and the draft to restock the offensive line.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to their first training camp. They really didn’t…
Yes, they did start the free agency period by bringing in two relatively obscure offensive linemen, veteran journeyman Artis Hicks and third-year man Kory Lichtensteiger .
And they did later spend the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft on the highest-rated left tackle on their board, LT Trent Williams , and I don’t undersell that move—it could pay dividends for years to come.
But that has pretty much been it.
They may still pick up another body or two in late free agency or from training camp cut-downs later this summer, but with each passing day the likelihood of finding a plug-and-play starter via that route gets slimmer.
All of which makes reading reports like this one on the current state/attitude of the five gentlemen currently projected to start the season against Dallas on September 12 that much more…relevant.
Seriously, if you had predicted back in March that come June the regime would be projecting a starting lineup of a rookie left tackle, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Big Mike Williams and Artis Hicks, I’d have told you you were nuts.
Current OL per redskins.com (projected starters in bold):
C Casey Rabach
C/G Erik Cook
C/G Will Montgomery
C/G Edwin Williams
G Derrick Dockery
G Paul Fanaika
G Kory Lichtensteiger
G/T Artis Hicks
G/T Chad Rinehart
G/T Mike Williams
OT Trent Williams
OT Selvish Capers
OT Stephon Heyer
OT Clint Oldenburg
OT William Robinson
Come on. No way a brain trust like Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen would go with that.
Would they?
Well, just for the sake of argument…what if over the past five months they have looked at what they have on hand and are not just satisfied, but happy?
Shanahan has been consistent and vocal about fostering “competition” all across the board, and management has lived up to that promise, bringing in tons of defensive linemen, receivers, running backs, quarterbacks…but not offensive linemen.
Why?
Have Shanahan and Allen spent too much time in the sun?
Do they not see what seems so abundantly clear to everyone this side of departed personnel head Vinny Cerrato?
Did they look out across the big man landscape and not see anything else early in free agency or the draft that they liked, and resign themselves to watching helplessly as yet another Redskins quarterback gets abused by swarming defensive linemen?
Or could it be that maybe, just maybe, they know something the rest of us don’t?
Is it conceivable that the red-headed stepchild of the burgundy and gold roster—an offensive line so long maligned it has become almost cliche—might actually be able to play?
Maybe we should at least allow for the possibility, if for no other reason than doing otherwise would flatly imply that Shanahan and Allen are ignorant of the proverbial woolly mammoth in the room.
Which brings us to the fun part…
What if the offensive line actually does turn out to be good?
What if whatever combination emerges from the running back competition among returning (and presumably healthy) Clinton Portis, newcomers Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, and whoever else ends up on the final roster has holes to run through?
What if newly acquired six-time Pro Bowl QB Donovan McNabb has a little time to throw?
What if the revamped receiving corps he has time to throw to has enough professional-grade depth to dictate single coverage from time to time?
What if opposing defensive coordinators discover they cannot simply send the house after the Redskins quarterback on every passing down with little fear of being burned down the field?
What if new Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan finds he can draw up an actual NFL-level offensive gameplan, comfortable enough that he can occasionally expect his six-time Pro Bowl passer to get enough time to take a seven-step drop, look off the safety and come back across the field?
What if he gets to pick and choose from his gameday playsheet and establish an offensive rhythm (don’t worry younger Redskins fans, you’ll know one when you see it), because his line is holding its own, and his playmakers are getting opportunities to use their skills?
What if new defensive coordinator Jim Haslett can game-plan and call his defense with a reasonable expectation of his offense that his offense will sustain drives as often as not, providing him field position, a fresh pass rush, and (gasp) perhaps a more-than-one-score fourth-quarter lead once in a while?
Oh, I know. Silliness. Burgundy-and-gold-colored glasses. The Redskins offensive line is a stone-cold-lock weakness. It is old, thin, generally blows chunks, and everyone knows it.
Still, as the days and weeks slip by and all remains quiet on the Redskins OL front, I can’t help but wonder …
What if everyone is wrong?
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After finishing a dismal 4-12 in the 2009-2010 season, one would not take too much heat in saying the Washington Redskins will not be in Super Bowl XLV, much less make the playoffs.
I would probably agree, unless Redskins general manager Bruce Allen and head coach Mike Shanahan take a few more important steps this offseason.
Let us get something straight: The Redskins have a defense. It finished 10th in yards per game in 2009, and for several weeks their pass defense ranked first in the NFL.
Questions on defense were almost exclusively in the secondary. Safety LaRon Landry, despite playing out of his mind in his rookie season (even at free safety when he replaced the late Sean Taylor), struggled in 2009.
I suggest the Redskins forget about defining strong safety vs. free safety (like the Pittsburgh Steelers). Just let the safeties play based on the down and the offense’s formation.
Veteran Reed Doughty is solid, and soon-to-be third-year player Chris Horton (who was placed on IR early last season) is a potential star in my opinion after showing great ball-hawking skills during his rookie campaign, despite almost being Mr. Irrelevant in the 2008 draft. The Redskins have good safeties; they just have to be utilized correctly.
As for the cornerbacks, there is talent, but it is underachieving.
DeAngelo Hall went to two Pro Bowls as a Falcon, but he has not played up to that level since.
Carlos Rogers is better in coverage than people give him credit for (He has defended a whopping 36 passes over the last two years.), but he cannot catch a ball for his life, and he is guilty of blowing it on the big play too often.
Recently, veteran Phillip Buchanon was signed to compete with third-year player Justin Tryon and second-year player Kevin Barnes for the nickel and dime spots.
So, all in all, the secondary is decent, but not much more than that. However, if the following offensive changes take place in the coming weeks, decent will be good enough for the secondary.
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1. Sign free agent left tackle Flozell Adams.
It is a mystery to many why the Dallas Cowboys released him even at age 34. He is still quite talented, and the Cowboys don’t have a viable replacement.
Right now, the Redskins have two-thirds of an offensive line. Center Casey Rabach is coming back for another year. He’s getting up there in years, but he is still very solid. Left guard Derrick Dockery is 29 and still playing well. Recently signed guard/tackle Artis Hicks will likely start at right guard. People forget he started in the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005.
That leaves right and left tackle to be addressed. Adams can fill either position for one or two years, and fill it well.
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2. Draft Oklahoma State offensive lineman Russell Okung or Oklahoma offensive lineman Trent Williams depending on whom the Detroit Lions take second overall.
There ya go. The Redskins now have a fully operating offensive line for one or two years. Shanahan can declare an open competition for the left tackle spot, so either Adams or Okung/Williams takes that spot. The other takes right tackle.
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3. Trade with the Denver Broncos for wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
I’m usually never a fan of giving up first round picks, but Marshall really is that talented. He broke Terrell Owens’ record for most receptions in a single game with 21. He has caught at least 100 balls for three straight years, and he just turned 26 at the end of March.
One might say the Redskins are full at wide receiver regardless of talent. The roster currently includes Santana Moss, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Marko Mitchell.
Moss is still very good, but he needs help. Thomas had his first 100-yard game at the end of last season while showing fantastic ability to get yards after the catch. Kelly has great size (6’4″) and elite hands. Mitchell was a rookie last year and is a project.
Here is my trade scenario: Malcolm Kelly and a 2011 first round pick for Brandon Marshall.
Marshall knows Shanahan, and he knows the system. He will fit right in, and quarterback Donovan McNabb will have a Terrell Owens-type receiver that he had in 2004 when he went to the Super Bowl with the Eagles.
I personally think the Broncos would bite on this trade. Kelly is almost identical physically to Marshall, and I think he is talented enough to at least contribute in 2010.
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Now let’s look at tight ends. Chris Cooley injured his ankle early last season and was placed on IR. What happened? Second-year player Fred Davis stepped in and played like a Pro Bowler. He was a monster for me in fantasy football, reeling in six touchdowns and 509 yards in 10 games.
Cooley is a two-time Pro Bowler, and Davis, entering his third year, is already showing signs of serious talent.
After these moves, the Redskins now have a receiving corps consisting of:
Brandon Marshall, Santana Moss, Devin Thomas, Chris Cooley, and Fred Davis.
Imagine Moss running free while Marshall takes on the best corners and double teams. Imagine two starting-caliber tight ends (I would argue better than starting-caliber) running routes at the same time.
Then throw in the running game. Sure, it’s full of old veterans, but hear me out.
Clinton Portis has had no work ethic since coming to Washington. He has frequently sidestepped the coaching staff and failed to enter training camp in shape. That will certainly change under Shanahan, and it already has. I think he has one decent year left in him.
Larry Johnson showed much improvement after signing with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009, yielding his first 100-yard game since the prior season. His carries will come on the goal line and in short yardage situations. McNabb has never had a running back like this, and he will benefit from it.
Willie Parker has faced injuries the last two years. Thing is, he has only had three 1,000-yard seasons in his career. He hasn’t taken near the beating that a Portis or LaDainian Tomlinson has. If he stays free of injuries, he may have somewhat of a comeback for the Redskins.
Every position on the offense is now solidified. Receiving corps is elite, quarterback well above average, running backs solid, and offensive line above average.
Throw in some luck that any good team needs to make the Super Bowl (Did anyone else see the Saints vs. Redskins game last year?), and Washington is a legitimate contender.
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With the recent acquisition of Donovan McNabb from the Eagles, the Redskins have solidified the quarterback position and increased their flexibility in the upcoming NFL rookie draft. And with that extra flexibility, it appears the team is now putting up various smokescreens in order to maximize their return from the draft picks they currently have.
Due to previous personnel moves, the Redskins currently have only four picks in the draft and there is plenty of speculation the team will attempt to make trades at or before the draft to increase their overall number of picks.
Their second-round pick was moved to the Eagles as part of the McNabb trade, their sixth-round pick was part of the Jason Taylor trade, and the team used their 2010 third-round pick to take defensive end Jeremy Jarmon in the third round of the 2009 supplemental draft.
The easiest avenue for the Redskins to pick up extra draft picks would be to trade Albert Haynesworth , who reportedly does not want to move to nose tackle in the team’s new 3-4 defensive alignment. However, few teams are likely to want to take on his massive contract.
Redskins’ head coach Mike Shanahan indicated the team was still considering taking a quarterback with the fourth overall selection in the draft, reasoning that some of the best quarterbacks in the league benefitted from being a backup during their first few years in the league.
Then came reports that the team was interested in acquiring former Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams to shore up that position on the offensive line. Even for a Redskins team famed for its reputation for acquiring aging veterans, this potential free agent signing seems to be a stretch.
More likely, these moves are an attempt to create a smokescreen in an attempt to influence teams lower in the draft to increase their offers for the Redskins’ first-round selection.
Numerous teams have needs at tackle and may be willing to move up to acquire the consensus top offensive tackle in the draft, Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung.
However, the real target of this smokescreen is likely the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have a need at quarterback and at left tackle and may be willing to move up to acquire Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
If the Bills are convinced the Redskins are ready to sign Adams to play left tackle and take Clausen fourth overall, they would need to entice the Redskins to move the pick in order to get one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft.
Alternatively, if the Bills were convinced Clausen was going to the Redskins, they might be willing to increase a potential offer for Jason Campbell .
Either way, the Redskins would increase the number of picks they have in the draft as well as receive extra value in any potential Bills trade. Whether or not the Bills and rookie general manager Buddy Nix bite is anyone’s guess.
Here’s a look at the Redskins’ roster needs as the draft approaches.
Quarterback
With the McNabb trade, the free agent signing of Rex Grossman , and second-year player Colt Brennan on the roster, the team seems set at quarterback. Look for Campbell to be moved at the draft.
Running Back
Shanahan has a history of using lower-round picks on the running back position, but that may have to wait until the 2011 draft given the team’s overall needs. With aging veterans Clinton Portis , Larry Johnson , and Willie Parker occupying the depth chart, this position needs an upgrade, but that may not happen unless they can move the fourth-overall selection.
Receivers
Santana Moss returns as the team’s top wide receiver but he leaves something to be desired as a true No. 1 receiver. With Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly entering their third years, the team is hopeful that one or both of them will finally start producing consistently. The team also has hopes for 2009 seventh-round pick Marko Mitchell who has good size and speed. There isn’t a need at tight end with the duo of Chris Cooley and Fred Davis .
Offensive Line
With Chris Samuels ’ retirement, the Redskins have a gaping hole at left tackle and figure to address that at some point in the first round of the draft assuming the Adams interest is a smokescreen.
Right tackle Stephon Heyor hasn’t impressed and could be challenged by Artis Hicks. Derrick Dockery returns at left guard, but Randy Thomas was released, creating a vacancy at right guard. Casey Rabach is solid at center but is entering his 10th year in the league.
The Redskins need to address two starting positions as well as the overall depth along the offensive line.
Defensive Line
The Redskins are moving to a 3-4 defense but don’t figure to have the difficulties in doing so that many teams have faced. The team has significant depth along the defensive line, so it will be a surprise if any selections in the draft address this position.
Linebackers
With Andre Carter moving to outside linebacker to start alongside London Fletcher , Rocky McIntosh (who is expected to move inside), and emerging star Brian Orakpo , the Redskins figure to have a solid starting unit. There is little depth behind the starters other than H.B. Blades and converted defensive end Chris Wilson .
Defensive Backs
The Redskins are set at cornerback with DeAngelo Hall , Carlos Rogers , Philip Buchanon, Justin Tryon , Byron Westbrook , and Kevin Barnes . However, the situation at safety is a little unsettled due to the struggles last season of LaRon Landry , Chris Horton ,and Reed Doughty . Kareem Moore could push for playing time there, but the team would likely address the safety position in the draft.
Dave Stringer is the head fantasy football contributor at DraftBuddy.com , home of the popular Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy custom cheatsheet and draft tracking tool.
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