The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Of The 53 Man Roster

After two months of training camp and preseason action, football season is finally here, and the world seems to be right once again. Redskins fans have every right to be excited with Mike Shanahan kicking off his regime this Sunday Night, and what better way to do it aganist their long time rival, the Dallas Cowboys. With the final 53 man roster and practice squad intact, there is the good, the bad, and the ugly news as the Redskins prepare for the 2010 season.

The Good: The Redskins will be well coached, very disciplined, and much improved on the field. After 10 years of mediocrity and poor personnel decisions, owner Daniel Snyder finally listens to the fans and hires Mike Shanahan and General Manager Bruce Allen. Both Allen and Shanahan completed a major organizational change in the front office and the team is currently run more professionally then in recent years. Shanahan's optional and mandatory offseason conditioning programs, and extended training camp sessions should help the players to stay in football shape for entire season, something the Redskins did not see with the previous incumbent Jim Zorn.

Also, the Redskins improved their weak spots on offense such as the offensive line by adding  veteran tackle Jammal Brown and drafting tackle Trent Williams in the NFL Draft. They also solidified the quarterback position by adding veteran quarterback Donovan Mcnabb. Mcnabb should add leadership and improved an offense that has only averaged 16.6 points per game last season.

The Bad: Despite adding key pieces, the Redskins still remain one of the oldest teams in the league and has done really nothing to improve in most key areas. For example, the Redskins don't have fresh young players at running back. Clinton Portis may be in the best shape of his career, but at age 29, I'm not really sure how much has left in the tank. The same can be said for Larry Johnson. Running backs tend to be at the tail end of their career once they reach their late 20s to early 30s. This means that undrafted rookie Keiland Williams as their 3rd string back. That's a risky move given the age of the top two running backs. The offensive line could be a disaster again if two or more starters get injured this season, and the defense needs to stop the run under the 3-4 scheme.

The Redskins also could have one of the worst wide receiving core in the league. They virtually have no weapons on offense except Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, and Fred Davis. Veteran receiver Joey Galloway is 39 years old and he will start this Sunday along with Moss, but only has 12 receptions in the last two seasons. Devin Thomas continues to be inconsistent, and Roydell Williams hasn’t played an NFL game in three years. The good news is that rookies Anthony Armstrong  and Brandon Banks could provide a spark on offense and special teams and should give some youth on the receiver core.

The Ugly: The Mike Shanahan Vs. Albert Haynesworth saga continues to be a major distraction with the team. It seems like everyday, there is a report that the Redskins are working a trade with Haynesworth to Tennessee, or the team is ready to let Haynesworth play this weekend. Either way, the result will have a bad ending, and Shanahan is either going to suck it up and let Haynesworth start this weekend, or keep giving him hell until the Redskins find an attractive trade offer. Knowing how he handled disgruntled players in Denver, Shanahan is likely to continue the second option until a trade is finally finalized.

What do you think?? What is the positives and negatives of the final 53 man roster for the Redskins?? Can they improved from the 4-12 record last season? Will Albert Haynesworth stay on the Redskins roster for the entire season?

Redskins Cut 21 Players To Fit The 53 Man Roster

Last night, the Washington Redskins announced that they released 21 players to reduce the final roster to include 53 players. Among the notables cuts were Willie Parker, Chad Rinehart, and Terrence Austin (surprisingly). Also, the Redskins did cut their final four players which were selected in this year's NFL Draft. Here is the list of the final cuts:

Terrence Austin	WR
Richard Bartel	QB
Selvish Capers	OT
Tyrone Carter	S
Erik Cook	G/C
Carey Davis	FB
Curtis Gatewood	LB
Howard Green	NT
Robert Henson	LB
Shay Hodge	WR
Rob Jackson	LB
Clint Oldenburg	OT
Willie Parker	RB
Chad Rinehart	G/T
Ramzee Robinson	CB
William Robinson	OT
Anderson Russell	S
Darrion Scott	DE
Ryan Torain	RB
Lee Vickers	TE
Bobby Wade	WR

Redskins Show Some Improvement Against The Jets

The Washington Redskins were once again involved in a defensive battle against the New York Jets last Friday. Backup quarterback Rex Grossman look decent by throwing some nice long completions to Santana Moss and Joey Galloway. But the offense didn't get six points until the two minute mark in the 4th quarter when the Redskins scored their first touchdown in two weeks, leading them into a 16 to 11 victory over the Jets. However, nobody cares what happens in the 2nd half in the preseason, so I will briefly analyze what happen in the first half.

Grossman play well with the starters against a very good defense. He went  8 for 16 and throw for 111 yards. Other then his silly turnover at the end zone to cause a safety, Grossman looked calm and collective with the starting offense. This is a good sign for Redskins fans since Grossman will most likely see a lot of action under center because of the injury situation with Donovan Mcnabb. It will be a good thing to see Grossman start for a least 3 to 4 games, but it will be a major issue if he starts half the season.

The running game looked ineffective for most of the 1st half.  Running back Willie Parker only had 8 carries for 16 yards. Parker did face one of the NFL's best run defenses, but I just don't see him in the roster after this weekend. Parker, like other older running backs, isn't been ineffective for the last few years after his breakout season in 2005. Clinton Portis did had one carry, but he sprain his ankle. His injury doesn't appear to be serious. Larry Johnson improve this week with 9 carries for 42 yards and scored the only Redskins touchdown late in the 4th quarter.  The receivers didn't do much since the offense was inept early on, although Moss and Galloway had some nice long receptions down the middle of the field.

The defense had a mixed performance. The good news is that the Redskins defense played very well against an inept Jets offense and it appears that Albert Haynesworth and coach Mike Shanahan have forgiven each other after their latest dispute. Meanwhile, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez didn't really had a passing game until he finally throw a touchdown pass early in the second half. Basically, coach Rex Ryan wasn't pleased with the performance on offense, and the starters stayed on the field until they put some points on the board. However, the Jets running game was the only positive from their mediocre offensive showing. LaDainian Tomlinson had 11 carries for 86 yards, including a big 43 yard run from the Jets 13 yard line. This a big issue for the Redskins. Their run defense hasn't played well in the last three games, and they better correct these errors before the season begins in two weeks. The last thing Redskins fans want to see their defense, which is bringing in a new 3-4 scheme, backfire on them performance wise. 

Next Game: @ Arizona
Thursday September 1st: 10PM
TV: NBC4 and CSN HD

The fourth and final preseason game is the most meaningless game of them all. We will see players either auditioning to keep their roster spot or finding another team. Expect most of the starters to play a series or two, and then the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string players will be on the field to basically trying out to make the roster. The Redskins have to trim the roster into 53 players by Saturday. Also, since this game is useless for the starters, I won't recap this game and the next few posts will be on season predictions, Malcolm Kelly getting on IR, and the list of players getting released. Also, today is the 1st day of September, and every football fan knows what time of year we are headed into.

Back To Reality

 

Last Saturday night, the local and national media got a good indication on why the Washington Redskins will win between 6 to 8 games this year. They are an improved football team, but a brutal regular season schedule, some flaws and injuries on offense and defense, and a 23-3 lost from the Baltimore Ravens proved that this team is far from being a playoff contender even with quarterback Donovan Mcnabb.

The Redskins offense had a good opening drive to start off the game. Mcnabb converted three third downs in that drive, including a long completion to Anthony Armstrong. But the Redskins failed to get six points on the board, and had to settle with a field goal. Unfortunately, that was the only time the Redskins got to the red zone until the closing moments of the 1st half.

This game was a defense battle on both sides of the ball and it became a 3-3 tie for most of the 1st half. While the Ravens struggled on offense, do not be fooled on what you saw last weekend. The Ravens ran a conservative approach on offense, and they won't do the same when the regular season starts. However, they weren't conservative enough to run a trick play. Late in the 2nd quarter, coach John Harbaugh  pull some trickery plays on special teams.  On 4th and 6, third-year safety Haruki Nakamura took a direct snap and ran it for 51 yards until he was tackled at the one yard-line .This led to a Ravens touchdown and took a 10-3 lead into halftime.

Since its preseason, I will only analyze the performance from the starters in the 1st half. Anyway, the offensive line just got destroyed by the Ravens front seven. The Ravens came out blitzing at the quarterback and it work to their advantage. Linebacker Terrell Suggs was having a field day with rookie tackle Trent Williams. He had no problems bypassing Williams and getting after Mcnabb.

Also, running back Larry Johnson struggle to find any holes and consistency with the running game. Mcnabb was sometimes inaccurate with his pass attempt, which led to a careless interception. With the offensive line getting abused from the Ravens defense, it led to three injuries on offense. Mcnabb got a sprain ankle, Williams suffered a minor arm injury, and fullback Mike Sellers suffered a knee injury.  Both Mcnabb and Sellers will not play this friday against the N.Y. Jets.  Backup quarterback Rex Grossman will start with the first team this Friday and Williams should be ready to go as well.


However, the most significant injury occurred on defense. Free safety Kareem Moore is out 4 to 6 weeks because of a torn medical collateral ligament in his right knee. These injuries issues isn't a big deal since its only preseason. But injuries to Mcnabb's ankle could become a serious issue for the Redskins when the regular season begins, and given Mcnabb's history of injury issues,  there is a good chance that Grossman could be seeing more playing time with the offense this season. So this friday, we will have a good idea on how Grossman performs with the starting offensive unit.

Next Game: @N.Y. Jets
Friday August 27th 2010: 
Time: 7:00p.m.
Network: CSN HD and NBC 4

The thrid preseason game always features the starters playing the entire first half and some portions of the 2nd half. However, in this match-up, the Redskins won't catch a break against the defensive minded Jets team. Given that the Jets have the number one defense in the NFL last season, the Redskins offensive line could get another beat down from linebackers Bart Scott and David Harris. Also, let's hope there isn't more injuries to our starters from this game too.

My First Experience In FedEx Field

For 13 years, FedEx Field is the home to the Washington Redskins and so far, its home not only to one of the largest stadiums in pro football, but one of the oldest stadiums in the NFC East.  When FedEx opened in 1997, the stadium was built in Landover Maryland from the late owner Jack Kent Cooke.  The stadium itself was young and modern since it included luxury suites and club level seating.

Today, FedEx Field is one of the aging, but still modern stadiums in the NFL. Other NFC East teams such as the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants have built new stadiums within the last decade. However, FedEx is home to some not pleasant experiences. Since the stadium's inception, FedEx has been home to traffic nightmares, poor fan experiences, poor concession stands, not enough bathrooms, and major parking issues. In some cases, it took fans nearly five hours to get in and out of the stadium.

Despite the complaints, I took a visit to FedEx last weekend for the Redskins preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills. As expected, traffic was a challenge, but my family was able to find parking. The seats for the first game were awesome. I was literally close to the field, and I was able to see the Redskins players practice, and see other local media personalities.

As for the concession stands, they weren't that attractive. I highly suggest you eat somewhere else before coming into the stadium unless you love wings and hamburgers from Johnny Rockets or you want some Pizza from Papa Johns. Also, one of the new amenities the Redskins added is a brand new high definition video screen on both ends of the field and they look very impressive. As for the game itself, the Redskins won in blowout fashion. Despite being a meaningless game, the fans were very happy with the result given last year's 4-12 record and they feel very optimistic for the upcoming season. However, the fans did booed a person wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey during the game even though the game didn't involve the Cowboys at all.

So if you're a hardcore Redskins fan who hasn't been to FedEx Field before, then you should try attending to  a regular season game this season, or attend a preseason game next year. However, you must get to the stadium at least two hours early because traffic around that area can be very difficult to navigate, and parking isn't guaranteed even if you have a parking pass. Taking the metro rail is also a good alternative if you want to avoid the traffic headaches. Overall, the fan experience isn't that bad as many people perceived it to be, but plan extra time and patience while arriving to the stadium.

Couldn't Ask For A Better Start

The Washington Redskins couldn't ask for a better start to their  2010 preseason opener. Last Friday night, the Redskins dominated the Buffalo Bills for 60 minutes leading them to a 42-17 victory. The Redskins got off to a great start when quarterback Donovan Mcnabb threw a touchdown pass to rookie wide-out Anthony Armstrong to conclude a 11 play-80 yard drive to give the Redskins a 7-0 lead.

Moments later, cornerback De-Angelo Hall got an interception and return it to the Bills 10 yard line to set up the first of two touchdowns passes from backup quarterback Rex Grossman. Grossman could be a viable backup for this team since he knows kyle shanahan's offense. Devin Thomas, who was placed as a thrid string wide receiver, also had a good game with 3 receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line did a good job protecting both Mcnabb and Grossman and also limited  false start penalties.

The defense perform very well in their first game under the 3-4 defense. They only held the Bills only to three points in the first half. Albert Haynesworth created havoc with the Bills offensive line, leading a sack from rookie linebacker Perry Riley. Haynesworth said he is comfortable with the 3-4 scheme and he is ready to move on from his offseason controversy.

However, the play of the game came from the special teams unit. Early in the 3rd quarter, rookie wide receiver Brandon Banks return a punt 77 yards for a touchdown. Can you imagine what the Redskins record will be  if Antwan Randell El provided that spark last season? Plays like this on special teams can really make a bad or mediocre team look like a good team. If Banks continues his electrifying role on special teams, he will make the team.

So far, the Redskins wide receiver core, which had questions during training camp, has a very good mix of veterans ( Moss, Galloway, Wade, Williams), third year players (Thomas), and rookies, (Armstrong, Banks). Head Coach Mike Shanahan will have a tough time deciding who will make the roster and the practice squad, but he will have three more preseason games to evaluate.

Next Preseason game: vs Balitmore Ravens
Date: Saturday August 21st,
Time: 7:30P.M.
Game Coverage: CSN Washington,WRC-TV (NBC 4), WDCW-TV 50, WBAL-TV 11
Redskins Broadcasters: Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann: on CSN Washington and NBC 4
Ravens Broadcasters: Gerry Sandusky, Rob Burnett, and Stan White: on WBAL and DC 50

The Ravens come into town this weekend, and we will find out the pros and cons of the Redskins for the upcoming season.  The Redskins secondary will be tested since the Ravens will display their best receiving core in franchise history. The Ravens are also coming off their thrid straight playoff appearance under head coach John Harbaugh, and the team is poised to make a Super Bowl run.

Coming up later, my experience of my first Redskins game at FedEX Field.

Training Camp News & Notes

Two Players Out For The Opener: Redskins wide receiver Malcolm Kelly and offensive tackle Jammal Brown will not play in the preseason opener versus the Buffalo Bills on Friday. Kelly has missed all of training camp due to a hamstring injury he suffered three weeks ago in Arizona while working out with Donovan Mcnabb. Brown suffered a hip injury and he hasn't practiced since last week.

Haynesworth: Albert Haynesworth did finally past the conditioning test on Saturday, and was able to practice with the team. Unfortunately, Haynesworth mostly practiced with the second team instead of the first team. Currently, there is no report whether Haynesworth will be in the starting lineup on Friday or even play a series or two.

Depth Chart: The Redskins release their first depth chart of training camp which includes 11 new players on offense and five new players on defense. Among the new starters are Joey Galloway, Adam Carriker, Maake Kemoeatu, and Kedric Golston. Haynesworth, Kelly, and Thomas, who were starters in 2009, are listed as backups.