Recap: Redskins Fall to Jags 24-17

I’ll keep this quick, since I’m a day late and it’s college gameday.

• I think Orakpo was held on every play for the first two drives. He’s a freak.
• Justin Tryon should give Jeremy Jarmon a hug for the free interception he got out of Jarmon’s good pass rush.
• I’d be surprised if they actually kept anyone after Rock in the backfield.
• Marko Mitchell didn’t have his best game, but he’s still the #5.
• Speaking of #5, Colt has to be the number three while Chase will be on the practice squad, at least in my opinion.
• Our special teams are still awful, but good job on that 48 yarder Shazzam.

VT/Alabama Preview later this morning…WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Thoughts from the Mini-Feed: Redskins Fall 23-0

Images Courtesy of CSN

There are not a whole lot of positives to pull out of last night’s debacle. The secondary looked shoddy, there was inconsistent pass rush, and the offense was nonexistent. However, it is only preseason, and I’m not hitting the panic button and neither should you. As a little lighter approach to a recap, let’s start with a few of the smartest comments from my facebook mini-feed from the last 12 hours (with my commentary added in italics):

Eagles Fan #1: its only preseason but damn cowboys and redskins looked like some shyt lol

…and you all dominated New England, huh?

Steelers Fan #1: Wonders how you spell Betts: Not sure but if your the Redskins you spell it Bettis: Great job spelling your own players name correctly. Looks to be a long season.

How about YOU’RE and PLAYER’S bud? Poor spelling on jerseys in the DMV is tradition now. Pot, meet kettle.

Eagles Fan #2: all you deadskins fans spouting off at the mouth are just pissed you didn't sign vick and you know it. i can't wait for him to dice you up in week 7 suckers! i'll be at fedex in my vick jersey!!

Ok so let’s avoid the fact that you lost last night too. By the way, Deadskins is original, but luckily they won three Super Bowls before they left this world. Talk to me when Vick is relevant on the field again.

Ravens Fan #1: Well, since the Ravens clearly own the Redskins now, did Dany Snyder sell the team to Bisciotti during the offseason or something?

Yes, the old “Ravens dominate the rivalry” argument. I’m glad you were able to destroy us in a preseason game. Congratulations, you’re going to the Super Bowl! Hey, 49ers fans, how did that whitewash in Osaka feel back in ’02?! Spurrier’s taking us all the way! Shut up Baltimore.

…and from my good buddy Wendy: We can only go up from here Redskins, no worries, I have faith!

It’s easy to freak out after a game like the one we were subjected to last night. Personally, I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy after what I saw, but the world isn’t ending either. Here are my few thoughts from Preseason Week 1:

• The fact that Darrell Green has publicly risked his reputation on Justin Tryon scares the life out of me. Tryon looked worse (if that is possible) than he did in 2008 against a maligned Ravens’ receiving corps last night. He had a game-high five tackles, but every one of them seemed to be running a guy down from behind. He’s a liability in coverage right now, and luckily we still have three guys in front of him. Considering he played a huge chunk of the game at one corner spot, which would never be the case in the regular season, I’m not panicking yet. After all, we did draft Kevin Barnes, who…

• …looked like shit a couple of times, most notably on a double-pump from Troy Smith (who played a great game, considering it wasn’t a bowl game…zing!) for a touchdown to Justin Harper. The big hitter didn’t get many other opportunity to shine, and didn’t do much to ease the mind of Tryon-haters.

• Marques Hagans has no business on this roster. Not only is he a Wahoo, he’s never been that good and we don’t need another short, converted QB playing wideout on the team.

• Brian Orakpo is going to be good, but I still don’t know if he should be a linebacker. He seemed much more comfortable with a hand down, but he had a couple of nice shots at the QB, and showed a lot of speed. Let’s see how he progresses, but I have a good feeling about him.

• Speaking of rookies, Jeremy Jarmon looked pretty strong as well. He got a little pressure and seemed to play well against the run.

• Jason Campbell still holds onto the ball too damn long.

• The Hokies seemed to have a good night. Will Montgomery had a strong outing at center, while DeAngelo Hall had a solid breakup at the goal line in his small amount of playing time. Justin Harper whipped the Redskins backups for 57 yards and a pretty touchdown.

• The 2nd Round Flops had 6 catches for 54 yards and two fumbles. WAKE UP FRED DAVIS!!

Overall it was a bad outing and Jim Zorn needs to get his shit together to keep the fans off his back. We must see more offensive consistency during the preseason to enter the regular season with ANY semblance of confidence. I think it will get better, but we’ll have to wait and watch. As far as the other big news of the night, Mike Vick has signed with the Eagles (as shown above). I have to say that I AM glad that he has signed somewhere, partially so we don’t have to hear about it all the time, and partially because he deserves a chance to show what he can do. However, I don’t exactly think Philly is the best fit for him, and I think their fans will be all over him as soon as they realize he isn’t going to perform like a superstar right off the bat. Vick still has potential, but he’s no savior, and people need to quit treating him as such. As far as I’m concerned, he’s still a guy fighting his way back into the league, and I think he’ll do well, but I don’t think that’s the sort of “nurturing” environment that he needs.

Here’s hoping next week goes a little better against the defending Super Bowl champs, the Pittsburgh Illegal-Gun-Shooting, Motorcycle-Crashing, Waitress-Raping Steelers. They sure are starting to sound like “America’s Team,” huh? That’s not a compliment Pittsburghers.

Orakpo-Gate is Over

Per Redskins Insider, the Redskins have agreed to a deal with first rounder Brian Orakpo, but as usual, terms of the deal were not disclosed. This ends Orakpo’s holdout at only one day, and he will be present for camp this morning. That sound you’re hearing is the collective sigh of relief from Greg Blache and the Redskins’ faithful. Get out there and wreak some havoc O-Sack-Po.

Redskins 2009 Preview: Linebackers

Through July, I will be running positional breakdowns for the Washington Redskins. Each assessment will be broken down into four areas: Past Statistics, Experience/Potential, Positional Competition, and Intangibles.

We’re now approaching the end of the month and we still have three previews left. I’m going to try and fit these in by Saturday, but as my best friend is getting married (congrats Jason!), that might not be a reality. Nonetheless, Saturday = August, so sorry special teams. Anyway today’s endeavor is the linebacking corps for 2009. For the sake of ease, I’m considering Brian Orakpo in this group as well (although it may not matter sans contract at this point). The linebackers were a bit of a mixed bag in 2008, and 2009 will be about getting younger, and hopefully a little more durable. Here we go.

Past Statistics

The easy part to point out about this group is the continued effectiveness (and Pro Bowl snubs) of middle linebacker London Fletcher. Fletch remained toward the top of the NFL heap in tackles with 133 and 96 solo, good for sixth overall. Steady man Rocky McIntosh came in second on the team and 44^th overall with 87 total tackles and 60 solo. Only three or four of tandems fared better over the course of the season than those two in terms of tackles and effectiveness stopping the run. H.B. Blades, the starter opposite McIntosh finished third on the team with 60 tackles. Fan favorite and supposed “pass rushing specialist” Marcus Washington only hauled in 44, despite starting nine games. No other linebacker really contributed significantly besides that foursome. The biggest problem here is playmaking ability. Fletcher is a rock in the middle and McIntosh is still improving, only entering his fourth year, but the group as a whole only two sacks (both McIntosh), six forced fumbles, and only one interception. While the Redskins had a solid defense in the middle last year, they were often caught on the field too long, and a big result of this was a lack of game-changing plays from the linebackers, this must improve in order to help the defense maintain a high level of effectiveness through this entire season. Brian Orakpo SHOULD help the fumbles and sacks, but someone needs to step up on pass defense.

Experience/Potential

There is no questioning London Fletcher’s experience. The man has started every single game since the 2001 regular season. That’s hard to beat. He’s 34, and not really slowing down. I believe the Skins have at least two more years to develop someone behind him, and even then, he may not lose his starting spot without a fight. McIntosh has shown great flashes at times, and seems to be non-discriminate for a linebacker out of ‘the U,’ but his play is growing much more consistent and he’s quietly one of the best players on the defense. He’s only 26, and could potentially remain slotted here for many years to come. It would be nice to see some more big plays out of him, but consistency against the run is a great start. We’ve already touched on Orakpo’s potential, and HB Blades will probably be bumped back into a reserve role this season, but he’s a quality player. I wouldn’t be surprised to be that guy to continue learning under Fletcher until he decides to retire. Robert Henson has the size to be a strong contributor down the road, but he’ll probably spend a lot of time on special teams for now. Guys like Robert Thomas and Khary Campbell can do a good job filling in for brief periods if they’re called upon, but it’s imperative that the Redskins develop their young talent. Thomas was a nice addition this offseason to positional depth, considering that he carries 50 career starts and has played all three ‘backer positions.

Positional Competition

It will be interesting to see who earns roster spots, especially with Orakpo’s holdout. Every day he sits, another player has an opportunity to show why they deserve a roster spot. The biggest competition will obviously be a strong-side linebacker where Orakpo figures to earn the spot, but Blades won’t hand it over. Thomas and Campbell will most likely compete for a spot, but both may be kept for depth, and look for Henson to squeak in as well. I have a funny feeling that Blades might not give up his spot until mid-season, and we’ll still see a good bit of him as Orakpo will get some decent time at end on passing downs.

Intangibles

London Fletcher is easily one of the best players at his position, and will continue to be, but his biggest contribution as a Redskin has been his leadership ability. He’s the kind of guy that commands the attention of his teammates at all times. He’s the ultimate lead-by-example kind of guy, but he’s very vocal and very emotional as well. He’ll have to maintain his heart to make up for the loss of a genuinely good guy in Marcus Washington. Washington’s skills significantly depreciated last season, but he’s still one of my favorite Redskins, and he always knew how to put on a show. Orakpo’s work ethic has also been called into question in the past, but I don’t foresee that being a problem with Fletch flanking him.

Final Assessment

The Linebackers might be one of the most balanced groups on the team in terms of player development. They have an aging but still-relevant vet in Fletcher that acts as a leader, the up-and-coming starter McIntosh, and the young phenom in Orakpo. There’s a decent mix of youth and experience with the backup group and that will pay dividends late in the season. If they can manage to flip field position a little more often in 2009, they could be one of the best units in the NFL. With Orakpo in tow, expect them to do just that.