SB Nation - Todd Collins

Previewing the Enemy: Washington Redskins

Rated-R Superstar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:39:28 -0000

It's a Super Bowl XVIII rematch! [via prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com]

Alright, it's not quite a rematch from Super Bowl XVIII when the Raiders smashed the Redskins en route to their third Super Bowl title in franchise history. Nonetheless, this Sunday, the Oakland Raiders (4-8) will look to put together a winning streak as the Washington Redskins (3-9) will be coming to town. Don't let that 3-9 record fool you. This Washington team is better than their record and it clearly showed after taking Dallas, Philadelphia and New Orleans to the wire. They don't lay down and will play hard. With the team 2-1 with Bruce Gradkowski starting, the Raiders look to come away with another hard-earned victory as they did last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers as 15-point underdogs.

Let's take a look at their schedule and see how they've fared so far.

Week 1: @ New York Giants -- L, 17-23
Week 2: St. Louis Rams -- W, 9-7
Week 3: @ Detroit Lions -- L, 14-19
Week 4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- W, 16-13
Week 5: @ Carolina Panthers -- L, 17-20
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs -- L, 6-14
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles -- L, 17-27
Week 8: Bye Week
Week 9: @ Atlanta Falcons -- L, 17-31
Week 10: Denver Broncos -- W, 27-17
Week 11: @ Dallas Cowboys -- L, 6-7
Week 12: @ Philadelphia Eagles -- L, 24-27
Week 13: New Orleans Saints -- L, 30-33 (F/OT)

Well, this team is certainly interesting. Sitting at 3-9, this team could easily be 6-6 or even better. We will have to bring our "A" game, of course, if we want to secure a victory on our home field this Sunday.

Let's check out the Redskin offense first.

Pass Offense Rank: 220.2 yards/game; 18th in NFL
Rush Offense Rank: 101.0 yards/game; 22nd in NFL
Total Offense Rank: 321.2 yards/game; 21st in NFL
Scoring Offense Rank: 16.7 points/game; 26th in NFL

With stars Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis out, others must step up for the Redskins. [via cache.daylife.com]

If you recall, the Redskins offense was the subject of some controversy or what not concerning head coach Jim Zorn. Well, he gave up his play-calling duties to assistant Sherman Lewis. Since then, the offense has performed better. Who is the leader of this Redskins offense? I really don't know to be honest with you. Let's look a little bit into their personnel.

Jason Campbell, QB: Many people questioned Campbell's status as the quarterback this season. He was even benched in favor of veteran Todd Collins earlier. To me, Campbell is actually a pretty solid quarterback. He isn't going to set the world on fire or anything, but he can still hurt you. Campbell is completing 66 percent of his passes this season even if they are "dinks and dunks" most of the time. With 15 turnovers and 15 touchdown passes, Campbell's ratio isn't all that great. He has been sacked three or more times in five games. Obviously, getting some pressure on him would be nice.

Rock Cartwright, HB: Rock is solid, just like a rock. (Ha, get it?) If you want him to be the running back, he can. If you want him to be the fullback, he can. He'll even run back kicks and run down there on punt returns. He is a threat out of the backfield to catch passes. A somewhat physical runner, Cartwright doesn't really stand out in terms of either his speed or his strength. Cartwright has stepped up for the injured Clinton Portis (concussion), who just put on injured reserve. Also on injured reserve is Portis' backup Ladell Betts, so the Redskins are thin at running back.

Quinton Ganther, HB: Ganther, just in his second year out of Utah, is someone I just don't know too much about. Essentially moving up from fourth on the depth chart to splitting time with Cartwright, Ganther was mildly successful against the Saints last Sunday with 46 yards on just 8 carries. The week before that against the Eagles, Ganther had 32 yards on just 5 carries. We may see more of him against the Raiders with him averaging 5.8 yards per carry over the past few weeks.

Santana Moss, WR: The pint-sized and speedy Moss is Washington's leader in receptions (49), yards (642) and touchdowns (3). He is what you would call the team's go-to-guy, but really the Redskins have a lot of guys they go to. Still, Moss provides that veteran presence and can't be overlooked. Maybe this would be one of the few times where I wouldn't mind Nnamdi Asomugha moving around from receiver to receiver, which he will at least a little bit.

Wide receiver Devin Thomas had two touchdowns last week against the Saints. [via a.espncdn.com]

Devin Thomas, WR: The second-year receiver out of Michigan State, Thomas is a young man seemingly improving with each game of late. He has even been prominent in the kick return game of the past two weeks. Still, he has shined brightly in the passing game over the course of those two same weeks. After a decent game against the Eagles, he broke out for 7 receptions, 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week against the Saints.

Antwaan Randle El, WR: The ex-Steeler is still in Washington. Randle El, who is very durable having missed only one game in his eight-year career, he is a dependable target for Campbell despite only averaging 3.3 receptions per game. I believe this is more in part to the number of targets the Redskins like to use. The team isn't confined to both Moss and Rande El as you will see here in a minute in this preview.

Fred Davis, TE: After Campbell's favorite target Chris Cooley went down for the year, someone had to step up. Unknown at the time to Washington, it'd be his replacement. Fred Davis. Since October 26, Davis is averaging 7.5 catches and 45.7 yards with finding the end zone three times, including two times in his last three games. As most tight ends are, he is a threat in the red zone and Campbell has no problem looking his way.

Let's shift gears to the Redskin defense now.

Pass Defense Rank: 190.2 yards/game; 5th in NFL
Rush Defense Rank: 121.8 yards/game; 24th in NFL
Total Defense Rank: 312.0 yards/game; 9th in NFL
Scoring Defense Rank: 19.8 points/game; 14th in NFL

Linebacker London Fletcher leads Washington's better-than-you-think defense. [via cdn.bleacherreport.com]

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache and his Washington Redskins actually have a pretty solid group defensively operating out of the 4-3. You may not think so because of their 3-9 record, but I'm sure people don't think highly of our defense since we're just 4-8. Anyway, the Redskins are particularly strong against the pass. Safety Reed Doughty has quietly had a good year and young LaRon Landry is solid at his spot as well. A pretty solid group of cornerbacks are headed by veteran Fred Smoot, who is in his ninth year out of Mississippi State. The leader of the defense is the man in the middle, London Fletcher, who leads the team with 109 tackles. Brian Orakpo, the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft, plays on the outside along with veteran Rocky McIntosh. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season. He signed a monster contract in the offseason, but the Redskins' defense is only ranked 24th against the rush. His presence is desperately needed for Washington. Haynesworth is listed as questionable as of right now. At right defensive end, Andre Carter has nine sacks and deserves some Pro Bowl recognition for his great play. Again, this is a very solid defense and will do everything it can to keep their offense in this game late on the road.

Conclusion: The thing that sticks out defensively about the Redskins is their 24th-ranked rush defense. With Haynesworth questionable, he probably won't be playing on every down. Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and Darren McFadden should have success as long as head coach Tom Cable keeps giving them the rock. I believe of the first 28 plays against the Steelers, 18 of them were rushes. That is a similar ratio that I hope to see this week considering how strong Washington's pass defense is. Speaking of the pass, the breakout of Louis Murphy was something else, especially with Darrius Heyward-Bey out. It's nice to see someone step up at the receiver spot. Chaz Schilens even found the end zone for the first time in 2009 and Todd Watkins caught a key pass in the final drive. Johnnie Lee Higgins came through for us as well. Wide receivers against Pittsburgh caught 12 balls for 248 yards, both of which I'm sure were season-highs for our club. We're definitely going to need that against the Redskins' formidable pass defense against the previously mentioned Smoot and also Carlos Rogers and ex-Raider DeAngelo Hall. This may be a good test for Bruce Gradkowski as well, even though he did perform well against two really good defenses already in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. I think we're ready for this.

Feel free to leave your predictions or even your own thoughts and ideas about the Pittsburgh Steelers and how we can earn a win our fourth win of the season on Sunday.

*-All stats are through Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

Poll

Do you feel more confident in a win, less confident in a win or about the same in a win after reading this preview?

More confident

161 votes

Less confident

81 votes

About the same

128 votes

370 votes | Poll has closed

Pour Some Sugar On Me - The 10 Most Irreplaceable Washington Redskins Revisited

Sugar — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:00:14 -0000

At the beginning of the season, I made a list of the ten players (click here to check out original post as well as any comments you or others may have made) I named the Most Irreplaceable Redskins. I attempted to take into account depth at each position, and identify those players who were most central to the success of this year's team. I thought that with the season on ice, it would be a good time to break out the list and see what we (I) thought, and how it worked out. I asked the question, "Who can we least afford to lose to injury?" The list goes from #10 to #1 (as ranked in the preseason):

Ten Yard Fight - 10 Chances To Make One Good Point

10) Hunter Smith - Well, I think I nailed this one. Not only has he been a decent punter for us, he has chipped in on offense, accounting for two touchdowns this season. We might have lost the opener against the Giants, but when Hunter scored his touchdown, we were very much alive. And when he threw the touchdown pass to Mike Sellers against the Broncos a few weeks ago, it was the turning point in the game. Yes, I think his performance this season has been very much worthy of a spot on this list. Coincidentally, when he was out, we did not score any touchdowns from the punter position.

9) Derrick Dockery- Hmmmm...has he been spectacular? No. But he has been in the lineup every week. In fact, you rarely hear his name called, for good or bad. I struggle with what that should mean. You can say he has been our best lineman, but on this offensive line, that is hardly a compliment. And that is only true due to injuries. Coming into the season, here is what I said about Dockery: "Let's not mix words here--we brought in Dockery to be an upgrade, not to hold down the position until someone better comes along. He has to perform well and he has to perform well right away." Given the relative nightmare our line has been all season long, it is just too hard to consider anyone currently in uniform on that line to be irreplaceable. That said, Dockery has probably been our most solid player there.

8) Fred Davis- This preseason, all I envisioned was a stretch of games where Fred Davis took defenses by surprise and single-handedly saved our red zone offense. I always thought it would be in conjunction with Cooley, Portis and Moss though. I think Davis has turned out to be irreplaceable. His talent is undeniable and there is nobody else on the roster who could have stepped in to Cooley's shoes and done as well (Yoder included.) If he continues to progress the rest of this season and into next season, we should have two pretty solid receiving targets working the field from the tight end spot.

7) Brian Orakpo- I took some heat for putting the rookie in here. I mentioned that if he failed to dominate, we would get a steady diet of Michael Oher chants. Well, he leads all rookies in sacks and he has played hard all season. It is very refreshing to see a draft pick of ours come in and contribute at such a high level actually. Certainly irreplaceable for us.

6) Santana Moss- Well...not so irreplaceable this year, eh? We seem to lose him every year don't we? Either to injury or to invisibility. JC can't seem to get the ball to him over the course of a game in ways that change the outcome of the game. HE is by far our best receiver, but at this point in the season, we are finding ourselves all of a sudden capable of moving the ball through the air with any of our receiving options (to the extent we are at all capable on any given week.) The good news is that it would seem we are past the years when our passing game was a one-trick pony with Santana Moss dominating opposing secondaries. The bad news is that we may have wasted some of Santana's abilities by being unable to stretch the field with him successfully this year.

5) Jason Campbell - I said at the time that I felt he was easily our #1 most irreplaceable guy. But with both Todd Collins and Colt Brennan healthy at that point, I moved him down the list a little bit. JC has been a fighter for us this year. He has hung tough week in and week out. You could argue that we have gotten every scrap of ability and effort out of this player. While it is true that an upgrade at this position might have netted us an extra win or two, I doubt it is fair to say it would have meant playoffs. Our offense has too many other problems. Regardless of what happens next season, JC was irreplaceable for us this season.

4) Mike Sellers - I goofed on this one it would seem. On the strength of his lead blocking, I had him as an indispensable member of this offense. Then came the safety in Detroit, and the inability to punch in a few goal line carries early in the season when he just did not seem to get any kind of push into the end zone. Sellers has been a fan favorite in D.C. for a number of years so I am ready to chalk up this season as just a down year for Big Mike. But he has been far from irreplaceable this season.

3) Clinton Portis- We have had the chance to see this one put to the test. Ladell Betts proved to be up to the tack of replacing CP as it turns out. Maybe Ladell should have been the more irreplaceable guy? I think Portis was hurt right away this season and tried to work his way through it even though our rushing attack suffered. It is possible he will never be 100% healthy again in this league. But at that 100% level, I do think he is irreplaceable. Now, I find it hard to fathom we can get through this next draft without using a mid-round selection on a running back.

2) Chris Samuels- This was the most accurate pick on my list. Even when he was playing with a few nagging injuries, he was by far the best we had. Without him, we have shuffled old guys and new guys all over the place trying to find a mix that would somehow get us through the rest of the season. Levi Jones has played admirably well, but to say we have a replacement for Samuels is laughable. The only way we can replace #60 is at the top of the 1st round in an upcoming draft. And then it will still be a battle for the blue-chipper to fill those shoes.

1) Albert Haynesworth- At the end of last season, teams decided to run against us all day long. Remember that? It was awful. Enter Albert Haynesworth. His presence on our defensive line has made a huge impact. Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo are getting sacks. Linebackers are getting to the ball-carrier with more freedom. Our #1 ranked pass defense has a LOT to do with the push Haynesworth gets up front. The added pressure on the quarterback has been noticeable from day one. Without him on the field against the Cowgirls, our pass rush faded big-time in the 4th quarter. The debate about Haynesworth will always include his salary, but on the field, he is priceless and certainly irreplaceable.

I'll say I was right on with Hunter Smith, Brian Orakpo, Jason Campbell (only kill me on this one if you think Todd Collins could have done better), Chris Samuels and Albert Haynesworth. That is 50% and is not so good. Fred Davis and Derrick Dockery are close but because the offense has been so bad this year, it is too difficult to say that they are in fact irreplaceable.

Poll

Who has been the most irreplaceable Redskin this season?

Brian Orakpo

119 votes

Albert Haynesworth

136 votes

Hunter Smith

50 votes

Chris Samuels

115 votes

Jason Campbell

70 votes

490 votes | Poll has closed

Five Good Stats by the Chiefs in their Win Over the Raiders

Chris Thorman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:37:31 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

about 1 month ago: Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell (2) sits on the bench in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The Chiefs won 16-10. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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Yeah, this was a win but this is still a tough post to write. Yesterday was not pretty by either team.

It was so ugly yesterday that I almost changed the title of this post to Three Good Stats by the Chiefs. Really, it was that bad.

Most of these stats are colored by the fact that the Raiders are, well, the Raiders. JaMarcus Russell is one of the worst QBs in the league, which always helps your defense play well. But the Chiefs had some bright spots regardless of their opponent.

We'll get to the bad stats tomorrow but for now, here are the good things that came out of yesterday's box score:

Limiting JaMarcus Russell
Forcing three and outs
DL Alex Magee
RB Jamaal Charles
K Ryan Succop

It's all there, after the jump.

113 yards passing by the Raiders

Yesterday marked the second time a quarterback had been pulled against the Chiefs, with Jason Campbell of the Redskins being the first. He was replaced by former Chief Todd Collins.

JaMarcus Russell did what he does best yesterday - Continued to give his critics ammo.

Russell was 9/24 for 67 yards passing. His QB rating for the day was 45.8. The Chiefs didn't' apply much QB pressure but they did come up with two sacks on Russell.

I know that the 113 yards passing was mostly the result of Russell being a terrible QB but the Chiefs' defense was able to do what pretty much everyone else has been able to do against Russell this season.

Half of Oakland's drives were 3 and outs

Eight of the Raiders' sixteen drives only lasted four plays. And four more of those only lasted four total plays.

Twelve of the Raiders' sixteen drives lasted four or less plays? I know it's the Raiders but the Chiefs' defense did what it needed to do for most of the day - never allowed the Raiders to get in a rhythm and made the easy interceptions.

The Chiefs only let the Raiders convert two third downs yesterday, which was unfortunately twice as many third downs as the Chiefs themselves converted on offense.

Is that you, Alex Magee?

One sack, one QB hurry and one tackle for a loss? Nice work, Magee. #71 doesn't play a lot but it's nice to see him maximizing his time. We haven't had much to talk about in regard to the Chiefs third round pick from this past May. It's nice to bring up his name.

Magee has four tackles on the season.

Jamaal Charles' 100-yard day

This is obviously the best stat of the game - Jamaal Charles' 103 yards rushing and 5.7 YPC average. His 44-yard TD was possibly the play of the year on offense for the Chiefs.

Larry who?

Succop continues to impress

Yes, Mr. Irrelevant missed a 52-yard field goal but I'll take Succop's stat line almost any day of the year - 3/4 and he hit from 50, 25 and 31-yards.

What else did you like from yesterday's game?

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans

sireric — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:03:09 -0000

Buffalo Bills (3-5) at Tennessee Titans (2-6)
Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 1:00 PM ET
LP Field - Nashville, TN

Coming off the bye week, the Buffalo Bills get a good challenge in the Tennessee Titans, who after an 0-6 start have won two in a row and seem to be back on track. This is the fifth-ever regular season meeting between these two long-time rivals. Does that sound weird? Well yeah, because this is the fifth time the Bills have played the Titans and sixth overall, but the forty-second all-time meeting between these two franchises if you count the days of the Houston Oilers. Both teams have traded signature franchise wins versus the other. For the Bills, it was "The Comeback Game," while for the Titans, it was "The Music City Miracle." Recaps of last five regular season games between these two teams are after the jump.

Sunday, December 24, 1995: Oilers 28, Bills 17
Todd Collins started this game for the Bills, but current Bills offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt finished it. Either way, it wasn't pretty for the Bills. A sack of Collins in the end zone and two Al Del Greco field goals led to an early 8-0 lead for the Oilers. After a Steve Christie 44-yard field goal closed the gap, not one but two Rodney Thomas touchdown runs gave the Oilers all the cushion they would need. The late Steve McNair hit Frank Wycheck for another score to put the game away. Van Pelt hit Andre Reed and Justin Armour for late scores to make it look respectable, but it wasn't as close as the final score looks.

Sunday, November 23, 1997: Titans 31, Bills 14
Once again, the Titans/Oilers jumped out to a sizable lead early, this time on a Marcus Robertson fumble return and two McNair touchdown plunges, giving the Titans a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. The big problem for Buffalo in this game was the lack of a run game - and when I say lack, I mean complete and total absence. The Bills had 4 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Antowain Smith was the Bills' leading rusher with 7 yards on 9 attempts. Quinn Early did have a nice game for the Bills with 103 yards on 8 catches and two touchdowns, but when you get only 4 total rushing yards, you can't expect to win very often.

Sunday, September 3, 2000: Bills 16, Titans 13
This was the season opener after the Music City Mugging ended the Bills' season the year before. After Rob Johnson hit Peerless Price to open the scoring, the ageless Del Greco hit two straight field goals to bring the Titans back to within one point. Steve Christie then hit two fields goals of his own to give the Bills their seven-point lead back. Eddie George then knotted the game up at 13 with a two-yard dive into the end zone. The Bills launched a late march, and this time, after Christie hit a 33-yard field goal with 31 seconds left on the clock, the Bills covered the kick return to seal the win.

Sunday, December 14, 2003: Titans 28, Bills 26
After two consecutive Gary Anderson field goals, the Bills rattled off 17 straight points. A Rian Lindell field goal, a six-yard Drew Bledsoe-to-Bobby Shaw touchdown pass, and a Pat Williams 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown that no doubt left him struggling for breath accounted for the scoring. Billy Volek then connected with Erron Kinney and Justin McCareins for two scores. Add in a Robert Holcombe plunge for the two-point conversion, and the Titans suddenlyhad a 21-17 lead. Lindell hit another field goal, and Volek ran in another score to make it 28-20. Bledsoe then hit Mark Campbell for a touchdown, but the two-point try failed, giving the Bills the loss.

Sunday, December 24, 2006: Titans 30, Bills 29
This was a real back and forth game, with 13 different scores and 7 different lead changes. Lindell hit five field goals and Rob Bironas hit three more for the Titans, his last one coming with just over two minutes left to play to give the Titans the win. Travis Henry, playing for the Titans, ran for 135 yards, and Vince Young added another 61 and a score. Lets hope that doesn't happen again.

Bills have tried various methods to address QB

MattRichWarren — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:33 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

Browse more photos »

Since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season, the Buffalo Bills have tried virtually every strategy available to find the next great franchise quarterback. With Trent Edwards faltering in his third year, the Bills may once again be in the market for the "next franchise quarterback". How might the Bills go about obtaining him? What has the organization tried in the past that may make them weary to go down a specific path again? The quarterbacks' winning percentages with the Bills are listed following each bio.

Draft a second-tier prospects in picks 15-45: Todd Collins (1995-1997), J.P. Losman (2004-2008)
The Bills selected Todd Collins No. 45 overall in the 1995 draft. That year, he started his first game in relief of an injured Kelly. The following year, he started three more games before taking over as the full-time starter when Kelly retired. In 1997, Collins' only full season as the starter, his numbers were adequate, going 215 of 391 with 2,367 yards. His 55% completion percentage and 12-13 TD-to-INT ratio were very lackluster, as was the team's 6-10 record. (41% winning percentage)

J.P. Losman was drafted No. 22 overall in the 2004 draft. In fact, the Bills traded up to get him, giving away their 2004 second-round pick and 2005 first-round pick to obtain the rights to the Tulane QB. Losman started for only one complete season throwing for 3051 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2006. The Bills went 7-9 that year but in 2007 Losman took a severe step back losing the first three games of the year and looking awful in the process. (30% winning percentage)

Trade for a promising backup: Rob Johnson (1998-2001)
Following the one season with Todd Collins, the Bills traded their first- and fourth-round draft picks to the Jaguars for backup quarterback Rob Johnson. In three season in Jacksonville, Johnson had started one game and thrown 35 passes. Due to chronic injuries, Johnson started a majority of games for the Bills only once, in 2000, going 4-7 as a starter. His stats were impressive; he could just rarely led the Bills to a victory. (35% winning percentage)

Sign a free agent to stabilize the position: Doug Flutie (1998-2000), Kelly Holcomb (2005-2006)
36-year-old Doug Flutie joined the Bills in 1998 at the same time as Johnson. Flutie had last played in the NFL in 1989, but had found success in the Canadian Football League, breaking passing records and winning six league MVP awards and three Grey Cups. As starter for Buffalo, he found his way onto the field in relief of the oft-injured Johnson and won a lot of games for the Bills. In 1998, he went to the Pro Bowl after leading the Bills to the playoffs, going 7-3 in his 10 starts. He once again led the Bills to the playoffs in 1999, compiling a 10-5 record as the starter. Wade Phillips, for reasons only known to him and a select few, named Johnson the starter for the playoff game, and following the (dubious) loss to the Titans, Johnson entered the 2000 season as the starter. Flutie was released after the 2000 season for salary cap reasons. (70% winning percentage)

In Holcomb's first year with the Bills, he started exactly half of Buffalo's games opposite Losman, winning exactly half of his starts. He was seen as the safe, knowledgeable veteran, in contrast with the wild and risk-taking Losman. He managed to complete 67% of his passes - the highest percentage in team history with at least 40 passes - but his yards per attempt was so low (6.6) that it hardly scared opponents' defenses. In 2006, Losman started every game for Buffalo, and following the season, Holcomb was traded to the Eagles, who turned around and traded him to the Vikings. (50% winning percentage)

Starter by default: Alex Van Pelt (1995-2003)
Alex Van Pelt was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers a few months after they selected him in the seventh round of the draft. Buffalo signed him and he sat behind Kelly and Collins... and every other quarterback the Bills brought in after them. He started three games in relief of Collins in 1997, but returned to the bench until November of 2001, when he replaced the injured (again) Johnson. Van Pelt and Johnson each started 8 games that year, with AVP throwing for an impressive 2,056 yards and 12 touchdowns. Following that season, the Bills made a bold move to bring in a different answer to the question of Buffalo's starting QB. (38% winning percentage)

Trade for an established vet: Drew Bledsoe (2002-2004)
Following the 2001 season, Buffalo sent their 2002 first-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Drew Bledsoe, who had become expendable with the emergence of Tom Brady. Bledsoe had a superb first year in Buffalo. He set the franchise record for passing yards (4,359), completions (375) and attempts (610), and became the last Bills quarterback to be voted to the Pro Bowl. In 2003, he had less of everything, including wins. After that season the Bills drafted Losman, and Bledsoe produced another so-so campaign under new coach Mike Mularkey. They almost managed to make the playoffs, dropping the final game of the season to Pittsburgh's backups. (48% winning percentage)

Draft a guy in a later round: Trent Edwards (2007-present)
In the 2007 draft, the Bills selected Edwards in the third round. At the time, Edwards was considered a value pick and a replacement at backup for the departed Holcomb. But Losman suffered ~~a dirty~~ an unfortunate injury, and Edwards stepped into the starter's role. Edwards won three of his first four starts, the lone loss being a heartbreaking MNF defeat at the hands of the Cowboys, before succumbing to injury himself. Upon his return, he won two more games, pushing his record to 6-1 as Bills starter and exciting the fan base. The Bills started hot again in 2008, rolling off four straight under Edwards. But over the course of the year wins, became fewer, though Edwards was still improving. So far to start the 2009 season, Edwards has appeared to show signs of regression, and is not considered by most fans to be the "next great franchise quarterback" anymore. (52% winning percentage)

Draft a top tier guy in the first 15 picks: None
In 2004, the Bills were rumored to be interested in trading up to select Ben Roethlisberger, but the Jaguars, the supposed other party, decided to draft the immortal Reggie Williams instead. The Bills have not had many high first-round picks, due in large part to trading them to obtain Johnson, Bledsoe and Losman. In 2006, the Bills passed on Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler to draft Donte Whitner (No. 8), and in 2007 decided against Brady Quinn in favor of Marshawn Lynch (No. 12).

The real problem with going down this road this year are the teams in front of the Bills in draft order (at least as it stands now). The Rams, Seahawks, Redskins, Raiders, Titans and Browns may all be in the market for a quarterback, and are ahead of Buffalo now, and will likely remain there. The Jaguars will also be picking in the vicinity of the Bills, and possibly will be searching for a quarterback. In order to secure their favorite player, the Bills may have to move up from around spot nine or ten into the top four picks. This type of move would be very costly, both in picks and salary, but would be the only way for Buffalo to guarantee selecting a top tier quarterback.

Philadelphia Eagles Opponents previews - Washington Redskins

JasonB — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:15:20 -0000

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This is the next part in our series of previews of the Eagles 2009 opponents. Joining us for this feature is Dave Schwab, who writes about the Eagles at his site Eagles Lincs.

This week it's a Monday night NFC East showdown between the 3-2 Eagles, who are coming off an upset loss at Oakland, and the Redskins, who are replete with problems of their own. The Skins have had the Eagles number in recent years, will this Monday night mean more futility in Washington for us or them?

Dave's full analysis is after the jump.

The 3-2 Eagles will try and erase the memory of their dismal performance against Oakland when they travel to our Nation’s Capital to play the 2-4 Redskins in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football. As far as the Birds go, I’m going to chalk up last week as a bad day at the office. They are a team that knows how to bounce back from adversity and quickly get back to their winning ways. Unfortunately for Washington fans I cannot say the same about their team. Last week’s loss to the Chiefs marked the third game that a winless team got their first win of the season against the ‘Skins. First it was Detroit, who hadn’t won a game in 19 tries, then Carolina who was 0-3 at the time, then finally Kansas City who got their first win after five straight losses. These losses have led to the speculation that head coach Jim Zorn is about to be fired any day now. It appears he will survive long enough to coach Monday night’s game, but he will no longer be calling the plays on offense as he was relieved of those duties as of this week. In his place, offensive consultant, Sherman Lewis who has been out of football for a couple of years, will be calling the plays for the Redskins.

Given the fact that their offense is currently ranked #29 in points scored and 23^rd in total offense there appears to be a need for this change. Another change will possibly be at QB, since Jason Campbell was benched at halftime of last week’s game and replaced with Todd Collins. It has been announced that Campbell will get the start on Monday night, but you never know how short a leash he may be on. The main problem with the Redskins is not at quarterback; rather it is with their aging offensive line. The loss of T Chris Samuels to injury only makes matters worse. They have already given up 17 sacks which is 5^th worst in the league and the running game is ranked 23^rd averaging only 99 yards per game. Perennial Pro Bowl RB Clinton Portis is having a decent year averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but has earned every yard he has gotten. Another major problem for this offense has been third down conversions especially in the red zone. They are converting less than 30% of third downs which is probably a combination of poor play calling and poor execution.

The Redskins defense is still the strength of this team as they have kept them in every game they have played as their four losses have been by a combined 22 points. They are ranked 5^th overall and in points allowed per game, giving up less than 300 yards and 16 points a game. Where they have been soft is against the run as they are giving up an average of 118 yards on the ground. Given the amount of time they have been on the field in many of their games, it is no wonder that they have had some late game breakdowns that have contributed to their four losses.

The Redskins are still a team with quite a few talented players. It is their overall chemistry that is leading to their downfall this season. They have an embattled head coach, a potential quarterback controversy, a meddlesome owner, and no clear direction from a management perspective. The unrest in the locker room is spilling out onto the playing field as is evident in so many close losses to teams they should have beaten. This combination does not bode well for them in this week’s game against the Eagles. The one thing you can count on from the Birds after a bad loss is a strong showing the following week.

Just Resign, Jim Zorn

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:11:40 -0000

Dear Jim Zorn,

Yesterday your boss cut your balls off. I've been there, but I never stood for it. It's been a tough run the last two years and it's possible you were not prepared to be a head coach. You have turned two years of struggles into recognition and respect from an influential few, but you have also become an object of ridicule. You attempted to transfer some of the blame by benching Jason Campbell. Only for his replacement, 37 year old journeyman Todd Collins, to play even worse and effectively lose the game for you.

Players are openly questioning your decision making. The Washington media has fueled every fire it could set. Dan Steinberg is posting pictures of your face and giving them ridiculous names. The Redskins are tanking. They play in the toughest division in football. This season will not be salvaged and you will not be retained when its over.

What can you keep that the media can't spin, sully and profit off? What can you keep that can't be publicly stripped? What can you keep from the best opportunity of your life gone to hell?

Your dignity. Just resign, Jim. You weathered the worst of it. The NFL has a short memory. Don't be Dan Snyder's fall guy anymore. Don't let the vultures pick from your bones. And don't put on the good face and grit your teethe through another press conference. Pack up, get out, enjoy your time off, your wealth and remember you're an intelligent man that forgot more about football than your detractors will ever know.

Sincerely,

A Seahawks Fan

The Quarterback of the Future, Today

John Morgan — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:43:40 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

He isn't shiny and the new-car smell is gone, but Jason Campbell has low miles and you save a fortune buying him used.

Browse more photos »

Jason Campbell is playing in the final year of his rookie contract. The Washington Redskins have done everything short of cutting him. They paid big to trade up for him in 2005, trading a first, third and fourth round pick to Denver to move back into the first round. Washington has expressed their buyer's remorse with benchings and rumors. Daniel Snyder made no bones about his interest in Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez. He missed out, and now Campbell is the Redskins starter by default.

He won't be next year. If Campbell plays poorly or only average to good, Washington will not re-sign him. If he plays well, the perennially cash-strapped but prodigal Redkins will not be able to sign him. He could just say no. Franchising Campbell would cost $15 million or more. Snyder could advantage the uncapped year and throw money at the situation, as he's wont to do, but even that seems like grasping at straws. Snyder has waged an ongoing campaign to disarm and discredit Campbell, and pitted the two in a way that doesn't speak of a long-term contract.

Do you care? Should you care? For almost two years, since around the time Campbell was benched for Todd Collins - Campbell had been injured and Collins had the hot hand - I have been convinced Tim Ruskell would sign Campbell. He imported half of Auburn's 2004 roster and its two best receivers. He is known for his conservative drafting and aversion to spending high picks on quarterbacks. He was part of Buccaneers organization that signed 33-year old retread Brad Johnson in 2003 and watched Johnson lead Tampa to a Super Bowl victory in 2004. And Tim Ruskell is known for finding undervalued assets.

Campbell is not a great quarterback. His three years starting have been remarkably similar. He had 5.5 A/NYA in 2006, 5.3 in 2007, 5.5 in 2008 and 5.4 for his career. Skin lines have been adequate to bad, as has their skill position players, and as ever, in Washington there are the starters and behind them, the fastest dude at the College Park Home Depot. Or fattest, if we're talking defensive line.

When Washington traded up to draft him in 2005, it was the Darius Heyward-Bay move of that draft. Analysts were split between thinking they overpaid and wondering how long until Campbell was cut. Campbell has won supporters and lost them. He has gained critics and rewarded them. He shares apologist with Alex Smith and that's never good. The Lewin Projection System loved him and Football Outsiders with it. Pro Football Reference ranked him 13^th in future quarterback value and put him in the "You like what you've got" tier. Brian Burke theorized Campbell was hurt by Jim Zorn's overly conservative play calling and that Campbell would benefit from throwing more interceptions. That is, more interceptions in the effort to convert more first downs.

Me? Well I don't know. I haven't studied Campbell enough to guess at his potential. I've always been impressed with him, but however you spin it, his career so far has been very mediocre. Deferring to the power of draft position: Campbell was a late first round pick in a weak quarterback class, and a late first round pick many thought should have been a second round pick or later. His career path for that kind of pick has been ordinary.

The Seahawks could be clearing payroll this offseason. The future of Walter Jones and Matt Hasselbeck is to be decided, but neither is long for Seattle. If the Seahawks go another way, if Tim Ruskell still has the say, then Jason Campbell could be Seattle's quarterback of the future. A future, fans can watch today.

Hogs Haven Predicts Redskins Final 53

Ken Meringolo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:32:30 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

Robert Henson and Cody Glenn may both benefit from being drafted by Vinny Cerrato. He HATES to cut players he drafts!

Browse more photos »

First, the obvious: Sugar has been shelved for the time being. I will be tackling a new writing assignment within SB Nation and I was asked to come up with a cooler name to write under. The best I could come up with was "Ken Meringolo". I know what you're thinking...sounds too much like an undercover secret agent of international intrigue. I guess you could say I followed the lead of one my heroes, Lt. Frank Drebin, and decided to use my maiden name.

Not that many tears (besides mine) will be shed over it, but Sugar will most assuredly be back. I will keep you guys posted on when and where my other writing assignments will end up. But on to the issues of the day.

Here is our crack at predicting the Redskins "Final 53". We have all been watching the preseason closely--there won't be many surprises. But we are picking a couple. Have at it (after the jump):

QB (3): Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

RB (5): Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Mike Sellers, Anthony Alridge

WR (5): Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Marko Mitchell

TE (3): Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

OL (9): Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Stephon Heyer, Chad Rinehart, Mike Williams, Jeremy Bridges, Will Montgomery

DL (9): Phillip Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Andre Carter, Jeremy Jarmon, Rob Jackson

LB (7): London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, Brian Orakpo, H.B. Blades, Chris Wilson, Cody Glenn, Robert Henson

DB (9): Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, Fred Smoot, Kevin Barnes, Justin Tryon, LaRon Landry, Chris Horton, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore

P: Hunter Smith

LS: Ethan Albright

K: Dave Rayner

I put Rob Jackson in over Renaldo Wynn, Robert Henson in over Robert Thomas, Rayner over Suisham, and Anthony Alridge in over whomever you want to call the 53rd man to make it.

Why do I continue to keep Renaldo Wynn off my final 53 list? If you think like me, then you think Wynn is not really a guy who is going to get a lot of snaps anyway unless there is an injury. Rob Jackson is still a little young and raw, and I have not heard his name a ton but if you are going to keep a guy around to caddy for the rest of the defensive linemen, why not keep a young guy who has a shot to develop into a serviceable backup instead of a guy at the end of his rope who has played all of his best football already? This is the pick I will most likely be wrong about, as Renaldo Wynn is a pro who knows how to play the game, and was brought in for his leadership and experience this offseason. But I had to stay true to what I have been saying this summer.

The Robert Henson/Cody Glenn/Robert Thomas decision at linebacker is a little more straight-forward. I think Cody Glenn is at the head of the 3-pack. The decision between Henson and Thomas is not so hard when you remember one thing: Vinny drafted Henson. He hates to be wrong about his draft picks. And lucky for him, he is in the position to pronounce his rightness! Henson has made a few mental blunders during games this preseason, and dropping that sure interception against the Ravens hurt him (coming out of TCU, he was actually graded as a sure-handed linebacker.) But in the end, the team will keep the guy they picked in the draft, and drop the guy they signed off the street. Regardless of who is better--though let's not make that out to be a huge deal. Neither Henson nor Thomas factors huge for us this season, and if Henson can figure out to stay on the field for special teams by mid-season, he will be worth the investment. Finally, it says here that Robert Henson will pull off an Alfred Fincher kind of performance against the Jags and earn the spot.

Anthony Alridge...really? Vinny brought him in this offseason and the word from the inside of the building is that Vinny loves him too much to let him go. What's not to love? He is one of those "yards-per-touch" guys. He is going to get the ball in the flat on screens, pitches, and dump-offs and he is going to get upfield in a hurry. I know Marcus Mason has been a fan favorite to make this squad multiple times, but the fact of the matter is he does not give us something we don't already have. Alridge gives us a scatback, speed option off the bench that will prove very useful this season.

I went with Rayner over Suisham even though there seems to be a resounding consensus that Suisham will retain his position. I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS! How do you hold any benefit of the doubt in a kicking competition when you were last in the league in field goal percentage? Rayner has had the better kickoff leg and neither has blown the roof off with their field goals. If anything, I would be tempted to keep Rayner and then bring in either Mike Nugent (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) or Brandon Coutu (Seattle Seahawks)--helps to watch every preseason game!--to compete with Rayner in the week leading up to the regular season. Coutu has a good chance to make the Seahawks' roster, but if he doesn't, we wouldn't be the only ones trying to sign him.

Practice Squad Predictions: Edwin Williams, Scott Burly, Keith Eloi, Robbie Agnone, Chase Daniel, Eddie Williams

WaTimes 53-man roster [Redskins 360]
WaPost 53-man roster [Redskins Insider]
Redskins Blog [Terl took his link down...I swore it was there?]

What do you guys think?

Poll

Which player that I put in do you think is most likely NOT to make the team?

Robert Henson

113 votes

Anthony Alridge

226 votes

Rob Jackson

263 votes

602 votes | Poll has closed

Land of the Giants: Osi Free Zone

cjmulrain — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:21 -0000

Most of the stories surrounding the Giants yesterday and today have been about Osi's absence from practice, but I've cut through the chaff to find some non-Osi related stories for your reading pleasure.

David Tyree is preparing for what may be his "final hurrah" as a New York Giant in this weekend's final preseason game. Appropriately, it's against none other than the New England Patriots. Also mentioned in the article is that Michael Boley has been taken off the P.U.P. list and will finally be able to start practicing.
Another one from Ralph Vachianno, about Hakeem Nicks' big night against the Jets. I've gotta say, I finally watched the highlights from that game, and Nicks looked fantastic. Also, there was a lot of hand wringing here and elsewhere about the Giants performance, but if that were a regular season game they probably would have just kicked the extra point to tie it at 20, and then kicked another extra point to tie it at 27, and the game would have gone to OT. It's not like they got blown out. They'll be fine, preseason results are beyond meaningless.
Matt Mosley analyzes the backup QB situation for each of the NFC East teams. He also ranks them in another post, but since he doesn't really say anything new I'll just tell you that he has David Carr as the worst backup in the East. I don't have a huge problem ranking Vick and Kitna ahead of him, since both have been more or less successful starters in the league in the recent past, but Todd Collins is a career backup who had a nice 4-week stretch two years ago, and that's it. No way is he a better QB than Carr. Jeremy Green, of Scouts Inc., agrees with me, and has Carr rated as the 14th best backup in the NFL. By the way, knock on wood that we never have to find out how good Carr really is.
Also from ESPN, Tuesday Morning Quarterback previews the NFC, though his preview for the Giants doesn't really talk much about football at all. He is impressed with our offensive line, which if you're a regular reader of TMQ you'll know is his favorite part of a football team. I generally enjoy TMQ and his somewhat random ramblings, but I hate how he calls the Jets and the Giants Jersey/A and Jersey/B, but doesn't make any such reference to the Maryland Redskins.
Finally, Stephen Baker is being awarded the Giants Alumni Man of the Year Award. Baker was one of my favorite players when I was younger, mostly because of his awesome nickname, and it's great to hear he's doing well, and doing good things. He's currently a full-time substitute teacher in Perth Amboy. I've gotta say, I'm a little jealous of the kids at that school - my substitute teachers were usually cranky old nuns, and they get the Touchdown Maker.