Who's Ready to Tailgate?

I’m ready to tailgate! Just finished my ladder toss/horseballs/whatever you call it game for football season. Who’s comin’ with?

Redskins 2009 Preview: Defensive Line

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.

The defensive line is easily one of the most changed, if not improved groups to come out of the 2009 offseason. From free agency to the draft, Vinny Cerrato finally acknowledged that big bodies win big games in November, December and January. Unfortunately in some of those cases, big bodies equaled big cash, and will now have to carry heavy expectations this season. The Redskins have had one of the best defenses in the NFL over the last five seasons, but if they expect to continue that trend, it starts up front. Like their NFC East brethren, they must get to the quarterback to ultimately succeed.

Past Statistics

While the defense has been the best aspect of the team over the past several years, rushing the quarterback has never been their strong suit. In 2008, the defensive line was rock solid against the run, giving up only 95.4 yards per game, good enough for 8^th in the league. They held rushers to under the NFL standard of four yards per carry (3.8) and were above average in rushing touchdowns allowed (12). Andre Carter led the group with 37 total tackles and sacks. Demetric Evans and Jason Taylor chipped in with four sacks a piece, and Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander and Anthony Montgomery added two each. The line as a whole combined for 19 sacks, which was bottom-five overall in the league. As a result, they gave up a very average twelve plays of 40+ yards on the campaign. In order for the defense to clamp down on the big gains, they must get to the QB sooner, and more often than 2009.

Experience/Potential

Here we see a VAST improvement on the 2008 edition of the d-line. The Redskins added seven-year vet Albert Haynesworth, arguably the best defensive tackle (when he wants to be) in the game. Haynesworth brings his 6’6”, 250 pound frame to the middle of the line as both a run stuffer and a headache for guards and centers on passing downs. He has shown the quickness and athleticism to get to the quarterback on the outside as well as up the middle (8 sacks in 2008). If he plays to his potential, his addition could do wonders for guys like Andre Carter and Renaldo Wynn on the outside. He was the best player on the Titans line that racked up 44 sacks on the year, and occupies more blockers than any interior lineman Washington has seen in some time. The group also welcomes newcomers Brian Orakpo (on passing downs supposedly), who was a fiend in the Big 12 with 23 sacks (career) as well as Jeremy Jarmon out of Kentucky. Renaldo Wynn and Phillip Daniels are also (effectively) new editions as well, with Wynn coming out of a complimentary role with the formidable New York d-line and Daniels coming off of injury. Jarmon is big and physical with the potential to learn under Daniels and Wynn, while Orakpo has the capability of being a sack-master, in the mold of (but I’m not saying necessarily as good as) DeMarcus Ware.

Positional Competition

People tend to forget that the Redskins still have two young, promising tackles in Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery. While Cornelius Griffin has been strong when he’s been able to play, he’s been nagged by various injuries throughout his tenure as a Redskin. We all know that Haynesworth will not be taking 100% of the snaps at DT, so these two guys must develop into more disruptive players, rather than run-stuffing, mild-mannered guys this season. If either can improve enough in their fourth seasons and supplant Griffin, the Redskins will reap the benefits. Griffin will be much more fresh and valuable when he does play, and the future will be brighter once he hangs ‘em up.

Intangibles

ONE, HUNDRED, MILLION, and DOLLARS are the four words that will define how this group performs for the next seven seasons. Albert Haynesworth has been criticized for attitude problems and work ethic in the past, and his detractors believe that he only had a career season last year because he was playing for a contract. Big Al says he’s not earned his contract yet, but he has to mean it. Will we get the head-stomping, highway-speeding, spoiled athlete, or will we get a monster in the middle? Secondly, losing Jason Taylor is a plus here because he was obviously a bit of a spoiled baby last season. Daniels and Wynn should be good locker room presences, and hopefully will be able to help Haynesworth harness all of his pent up anger on Sundays.

Final Assessment

I think that this group much stronger overall than a season ago, and Haynesworth not only adds a great starter, but enhances the depth at tackle as well. The ends should also have a little more depth and experience as well. I look for somewhere between 30-40 sacks this season overall, and if they do that, they can be a top 3 defense overall. Look for Haynesworth to put up 4-5 sacks but the ends to pull in a lot more than last year. Oh, and I know the head stomping incident was bad, but maybe Big Al can spice up the Cowboys rivalry by seeing Andre Gurode twice a year.

Redskins 2009 Preview: Wide Receivers

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.

Today we’ll take a look at one of the most maligned group on the Redskins roster from 2008: the wideouts. There are a couple of known commodities and several unknowns, but there are a few things about this position that are certain. The wide receiver position was one of the most inconsistent and unreliable positions as a whole in 2008, and they must find more weapons and soon, or the entire offense, and ultimately the whole team will suffer as a result.

Past Statistics

We’ve already examined the tight ends, but they’re going to be lumped in here a little bit also. The Redskins’ Receivers as a whole made up the 22^nd best group in the NFL in 2008. They collectively racked up 3291 yards over the course of the season on 265 receptions. Out of those numbers, the wide receivers collected 159 catches or about sixty percent of the offense. This is not a terrible number for a west coast offense considering that the team has such weapons like Chris Cooley as well as Clinton Portis out of the backfield. In comparison, the top passing offense (the Saints) only had about 49% of their passes hauled in by receivers. However, the only wide receiver in the top 50 in catches, yards, and first downs was Santana Moss. Behind Cooley and Moss, the Redskins lack any sort of an elite talent that shows itself on the field. Randle El had a nice little season for a 3^rd receiver (53 catches for 593 yards), but it’s obvious that they need a true number two guy. Moss has proven himself as a deep threat with fifteen catches of 20+ yards, but Randle El and the rest of the group only combined for six. Unless the wide receivers can spread the field, the offense will be limited in running the football and looking for tight ends in the red zone.

Experience/Potential

Moss and Randle El will both be on the wrong side of 30 by the opening game of the 2009 season. Both have nice hands and are great components to a passing game. Unfortunately, both struggle to hit 5’10” in their measurable, and that doesn’t scare many people. Randle El has become a very reliable possession receiver, but he must stay healthy and find ways to stay open against bigger cover corners as well as linebackers (when he’s lined up in the slot). Everyone in the league knows that the Redskins have talent on the outside, but they don’t have reliable size, so they adjust their defenses accordingly. That brings me to the young guys. There is a lot of possible potential on the roster. We’ve already touched on Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly in previous posts, but at least one must find a way to become a difference maker and soon. Both stand taller than 6’2” and have the athleticism to frustrate defensive coordinators, but both showed an unwillingness (or inability) to work hard enough to crack the gameday roster regularly in 2008. Again, the wide receivers must be able to stretch the field for Jason Campbell in order to help the running game and tight ends, so Kelly and Thomas find themselves in the pressure cooker in 2009.

Positional Competition

The most interesting factor here might be the departure of longtime vet and special teamer James Thrash. Between Moss, Randle El, Kelly and Thomas, there should be only one more spot available for a newcomer. Enter Roydell Williams, Marko Mitchell, Keith Eloi and Marques Hagans. Williams is a four year vet that started his career in Tennessee. He was a fourth round draft pick and had his best season in 2007 before a foot injury sidelined him and led to his release prior to last season. Williams has decent size at 6’0”, but he’s a little light, weighing in at only 187 lbs. Mitchell was a seventh round draft pick in 2009 and was a big force for Nevada in college (literally). He checks in at 6’4”, 218, and has big play ability, averaging over 18 yards per carry over his collegiate career. His highlights can be seen here. His big knock is that he tends to catch the ball close to his body, but he has the big hands to adjust. Eloi is a physical freak (as evidenced below) out of Nebraska-Omaha. He’s got a size disadvantage but ridiculous leaping ability, and also carries value as a strong returner. Hagans is a converted quarterback from (vomit) UVA, who never impressed me as a particularly great athlete, but always seemed to have a good bit of fight in him. He’s also smallish at 5’10” 205, and has nine career receptions for 108 yards. Whichever guy comes out of this group could have a big impact this season, especially considering the injury history of Malcolm Kelly and the willingness for the coaching staff to find a playmaker to compliment Moss.

Intangibles

While this group doesn’t have a lot of size (that contributes yet at least), the veterans have heart. Moss and Randle El have no fear in going against bigger guys and running through the middle of the field. Both have made a strong effort with the young guys this offseason, and have a great team-first attitude. Whether or not that translates to the field will be a big question, but the young receivers certainly aren’t short of leaders ahead of them. The only big loss here is the leadership and tenacity of a guy like James Thrash, who was a HUGE locker room guy and a fan favorite.

Final Assessment

The Redskins have a great deal of untapped potential, and could be one of the better units in the league if they can develop their young talent. However, they will be handcuffed if that talent doesn’t show a better work ethic and willingness to learn this time around. If Kelly and Thomas don’t turn around their careers quickly, they will be thrown into the bust pile and could set back the offense quite a bit. I don’t look for Kelly to have a huge impact this season considering his ongoing knee problems, but I do believe that Devin Thomas will improve on his 2008, and will probably throw in 30-40 catches. That should be enough to take some pressure off this group, but they certainly will remain one of the weak links on the roster in 2009.

Last Week's Poll: Redskins Rushers are a Strength

It looks like this week’s poll showed quite a bit of confidence in the Redskins rushing attack. Although our voter turnout was not where I would like it (here's staring at YOU casual reader), those that did decide to participate have a positive outlook on how Clinton and his gang will perform this season. 62% of voters considered Joe Bugel's "Dirtbags" to be capable of blocking for a top 1/3 NFL rushing attack, which would put them on par with the last few seasons. Losing Pete Kendall for the younger, and probably more athletic Derrick Dockery seems to be one of the biggest boosts according to a few friends that I've spoken to. Not one person voted for the Redskins to be a bottom-of-the-barrell group, but the other 38% consider them to be relatively average, which would be more in like with the perceived aging of the line and Portis's legs. I tend to agree with the "6th to 10th" group, as I believe that rushing attack may be more consistent this season (relatively good over sixteen games instead of a great first eight and terrible last eight), but they might not get the same publicity that they received a year ago.

This Week's Poll: What team do you expect to win the Atlantic Division in the ACC? Let us know what you think!