SB Nation - Rocky McIntosh

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?

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!

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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

Butch Davis Talks About Recruiting Portis, Moss, and Sean Taylor (Part II)

KevinE — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:21:26 -0000

via cdn2.sbnation.com

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In Part I in of our conversation with Coach Butch Davis, I really got a feel for how coaches can relate to players and be effective. Coach Davis happened to recruit 3 players during his tenure in Miami, which have become DEAR to Redskins Nation: Clinton Portis, Santana Moss and Sean Taylor.

HH: Can you talk about recruiting Clinton Portis? What was his personality like back then?

Clinton was an unbelievable story. The tape we were watching on Clinton we were actually watching the Quarterback on his football team. Late one Monday night early in the season it was like the first of September, it was Clinton's Senior year. The game by accident we picked up to watch the quarterback, Clinton was absolutely spectacular. Kickoff returns for touchdowns. Everytime he touched the ball. I remember one particular sequence he scored a touchdown... it was a long run, a 67-yard run and there was a penalty and they brought it back. They handed him the ball the very next play, and he did exactly the same thing. It was like immediately, "Get on the phone. Find out who this guy is. Do we have any kind of opportunity to recruit him?" We were fortunate with him being right there in Gainesville. For whatever reason, the Univ of Florida wasn't interested. We went full out trying to recruit him. He was a great player in college and a phenomenal player on the next level.

HH: And Santana Moss?

Santana was a totally different story. He was the biggest secret maybe in the country. We all knew in South Florida what a phenomenal kid that he was. Charismatic. Great personality. He had outstanding track times. He played with a great high school football team at Carol City, but they hardly ever threw the ball. This stat won't be 100% accurate, but he had something like 8-10-12-15 catches. Like maybe one a game. He was in a 3-point stance and blocking down field. Talking about somebody flying totally under the radar. Immediately when he got on our football team, we knew that he was special. He was a difference maker. He might be the most electrifying punt returner that I've certainly ever had the opportunity to be around. There were so many ways he could hurt a defense. Stretch em deep. Great hands. Run after catches. Electrifying. You could do all the reverses with him. We were blessed to have both of those kids on our football team.

HH: You left there right as Sean Taylor was getting there. Were you involved at all in recruiting him?

When I recruited Sean, my son went to the same school as Sean. So, I was over at Gulliver a lot picking up my son and wathing him practice. I'll never forget the year we recruited Sean, he scored 5 TDs in the championship game as the RB. That was one of the things [people don't realize in games]. They see an interception by Sean Taylor in college and the NFL and they didn't realize they just threw the ball up to one of the country's best RBs. At the time we had Willis Maghee, Clinton Portis, Najeh Davenport. We had a host of RBs..it was just more prudent to put him at safety.

HH: When I interviewed Coach Larry Coker on the phone, he had mentioned he recruited Sean.

Well, I was the head coach when Sean was there. I left the week before they all signed. Kellon Winslow Jr, Antrel Rolle. All those guys. That was quite a class.

HH: Man...I bet that 2001 Miami team could have beat the bottom third of the NFL that year.

I don't know about that but they were pretty gifted. When you go to training camp if you would, please say hello to Clinton and Santana, I'd appreciate it.

OK, so the 2001 Miami roster, which won the National Championship, included: Willis McGahee, Najeh Davenport, Andre Johnson, Antrel Rolle, Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Clinton Portis, Philip Buchanon, Frank Gore, Rocky McIntosh, Vince Wilfork, Bryant McKinnie, Kellen Winslow, Jeremy Shockey, and Jerome McDougle. Ken Dorsey was the QB for this championship team, but wow, what a squad.

August 4: Our Recap from Training Camp Today

KevinE — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:05:04 -0000

Another sweltering hot day. The practice started for QBs with Zorn throwing the ball on the ground and each Qb having to fall on it in a spooning/sliding fashion. Colt did it the best of the three. Todd Collins seemed to run up to it, squat, and fall on it which drew laughter from the crowd. Campbell also had an awkward fall on it which resulted in a quick lecture from Zorn.

Next up was practicing 15 yard screen passes. The QB would drop back and then Zorn would yell which square he wants the QB to throw in. Campbell's first pass was a direct shot, but he got a quick lecture on Zorn on footwork. The drill reminded me of a dunk-tank at a county fair. The crowd would go crazy any time the ball caught into one of the squares.

Next, the Qbs ran this drill on the run. Todd Collins looked a lot more consistent than the previous day I saw him (Saturday). The subsequent drill removed the net and insert in tight ends (no coverage). Fred Davis made a nice grab and his turn and momentum up-field is very impressive. As Sugar said before, Fred Davis is going to make himself known this year.

Hunter Smith was doing a few drills today. He was catching some Ethan Albright snaps for place kicking...one-handed. Everything Terl covered with Hunter being the best holder of all time appears to be true. I asked Suisham if Hunter has made a big difference. "Yes" he replied. "How is it different than Durant's hold", I asked. Suisham thought for a few seconds, laughed, and replied, "It just is." Seems to go with what Hunter said that every ball he puts down is the exact same, smooth motion.

At 9:30AM the horn sounded and the 11-11 drills commenced. I took notes of every single play, so here they are in sequential order:

- Fincher comes straight through into the backfield

- London Fletcher came in untouched and Campbell throws an INT. Zorn shouts "You got to earn it offense!"'

- JC fumbles snap

- Heyer slightly false started, Sellers held, but JC finished the play and connected on a long bomb to Randle-El to the crowd's delight.

- Todd Collins completes a nice throw over the middle to Trent Shelton

- False start

- Todd Collins 5-yard slant complete pass.

- Sweep to Alridge for no gain.

- Fred Davis goes in motion and stops as fullback. Colt hikes and looks for a screen to Fed which is well-covered, so Colt scrambles out of bounds.

- Jeremy Jarmon burns Jeremy Bridges and is able to bat down Colt's screen attempt

- Campbell quick slant to Randle-El for short gain (I got a flashback to 2008)

- Campbell overthrows Fred Davis. Cornelius Griffin got to the QB first.

- Betts run left for a few yards.

- Quick pass for 3-yards to Hagans. Will Montgomery playing Center and lost his battle.

- Anthony Alridge bobbles the handle off and fumbles. Kareem Moore scoops it up. Fan screams "Cut his ass!" which drew a laugh

- Dominque Dorsey runs left for a 5 yard gain before defense gets to him

- Todd Collins screen to Marcus Mason who runs down the sideline and takes a full hit from Robert Henson

--- Drills now switch to Red Zone ---

- Antonio Dixon gets in the backfield. Portis stopped for a loss.

- Campbell has lots of protection and scrambles up the middle for a TD

- Collins nice fade pass to Marko Mitchell for a TD

- Betts runs left for a TD. No LBs were there to cover that side and Robert Thomas was the closest one.

- Colt has a really nice play-action fake bootleg and throws a pass to Fred Davis in the end-zone. Zorn throws his hands up in the air in celebration.

- Pitch to Marcus Mason which is broken up by Rocky McIntosh behind the line of scrimmage.

- Colt Brennan can't find an open WR...looks around and runs out of bounds. Gets some coaching from Zorn.

- Dominique Dorsey run up the middle. Albert Haynesworth is an absolute wall on this play. No gain.

--- Back to normal field plays ---

- Offense is clicking now. Todd Collins completing passes. Blache is using prevent defense.

- Next 2 plays are Todd Collins interceptions.

I was able to talk to several players post practice which I'll write up shortly once I get my audio converted over (Moss, Cooley, Daniels, Henson). Overall, the offense did look better. They weren't getting run-over like I saw on Saturday. Phillip Daniels confirmed this when I asked him about it. Other notes: Orakpo continued to shine burning Samuels on one play (oohs and aaah's from crowd). Fincher was also very disruptive. It is still way too early to pass judgement on playes. Once they see some real game time can we make evaluations. Roydell Williams is out 3-6 weeks so the door seemed to have opened for Hagans, who looked strong, and Marko Mitchell.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:30:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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Welcome to an eve-of-month-end-financial-close version of ST&NO, where I spent spent all day between a boat transiting Lake Erie, and Kelley's Island, which is a very nice place to visit. Exacerbating matters is the fact that the lady-friend has been out of town all weekend, and her plane lands at 10 PM. At that point, I expect to devote some time to talking to her, as I tried to lay off all weekend so she could hang out with her college roommate in peace. It is now 8:54 PM, and I will write until she calls. It's a lot like being down a couple touchdowns with 4 minutes to go, and no timeouts. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. I said I had an idea last week on the killer-vs.-filler front, and I do. As the around-the-league guy, I have decided to do some breakdowns on the offseasons and 2009 outlooks of the other 31 teams over the next 8 weeks. I must warn you, do not expect groupthink or regurgitation of other morons' ideas, as I am the only moron whose thoughts count here. Like I told the student from Penn State, I get my information from my eyes, you dig? (In the interest of full disclosure, I may have been unduly short with him at times during our conversation, because I used to work with a pretty loathsome woman who was a (much too) proud Penn State alum. I realize that it's not fair to automatically expect that he sucks at life, just because she did).

Anyway, I am going to start with the most relevant teams, and since the Broncos play the NFC East this season, I am going to discuss my (Shallow) Thoughts and (Nearsighted) Observations of those four teams after the jump.

a. New York Giants (2008 Record 12-4, lost in Divisional Round of Playoffs)

Smart Personnel Moves - Chris Canty was one the best additions of the offseason by any team, and Rocky Bernard will help their defensive line also, as both are expected to start. Canty, especially, can play inside as a DT, and really help the Giants run defense. It was a little outside the box to sign a 5-technique to play probably a 2-technique, but it has a high probability of working in this case. I also loved the selection of OLB Clint Sintim in the 2nd round of the draft. He played in one of the very few collegiate 3-4's at Virginia, but the Giants like to blitz their SLB a great deal, and Sintim fits that profile very well. Another departure from traditional thinking for the Giants, which generally makes me feel very warm and fuzzy inside. Other draftees whom I like include William Beatty, Ramses Barden, Travis Beckum, Andre Brown, and Rhett Bomar. Jerry Reese is a good picker of players.

Questionable Personnel Moves - The Giants needed to trade for Braylon Edwards, and I believe that they really messed up in not doing so. Hakeem Nicks is going to be an okay player, but he isn't anywhere near the talent that Edwards is. I think that GM Jerry Reese was too in love with having his first-round draft pick, and the team is going to suffer for it this season. For a top-of-the-league talent who is being offered for pennies on the dollar, you make the deal. (As a Mets fan, I would trade their top OF prospect Fernando Martinez for Jake Peavy in a nanosecond. Peavy and Johan Santana together makes you a favorite to win the World Series, just like Edwards would have made the Giants the favorite to win the Super Bowl. This is the same kind of situation, though I think Martinez is even a better prospect than Nicks).

ST&NO Outlook - This team can definitely win the Super Bowl with reasonable health. The key competitive advantage they have is their outstanding and remarkably deep defensive line of Canty, Bernard, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka, Jay Alford, and Fred Robbins. Corey Webster and Aaron Ross are both very good at CB also. I believe that the Giants will field the #1 defense in the NFL this season.

The offense is good overall, but flawed in a few ways. Their offensive line is excellent at run blocking, but below-average in pass protection, especially David Diehl, who is a LG pretending to be a LT. They also lack anybody at WR or TE who is remotely scary to a defense, which is going to force a lot of 8-man fronts, like the Giants saw at the end of 2008 once Plaxico Burress shot himself. The good news is that the Giants can really run the ball, and I expect Andre Brown to earn some carries as a replacement for Derrick Ward.

This is very probably a playoff team again in 2009, but the tough division they play in makes missing the postseason conceivable, especially with a key injury or two. If you can pass-protect and contain the run, you can beat the Giants though, and we know the Broncos can do one of those things, at least.

b. Philadelphia Eagles (2008 Record 9-6-1, lost in NFC Championship Game)

Smart Personnel Moves - There were many. The best thing the Eagles did was shore up their offensive line, with the trade for Jason Peters and the signing of Stacy Andrews. Peters can be one of the best in the league when his conditioning is right, and his technique stays solid. Andrews is above-average as a player, and is the brother of Shawn Andrews, who is the best RG in the NFL, when he isn't missing time due to clinical depression. The Eagles will have to hope that Stacy's presence can help Shawn, and that they can dominate together on the right side. In the draft, I really liked the value of Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, and Cornelius Ingram. All three can make a few plays right away for an offense that needed a few more last season.

Questionable Personnel Moves - I don't see how the Eagles could let Brian Dawkins go. It benefited the Broncos, but he was Mr. Eagle, and he had a great 2008 season. I expect his loss to be of the same magnitude as the Broncos' loss of Al Wilson, where the effect will be felt throughout the whole defense, for years to come.

ST&NO Outlook - The Eagles are also a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but my expectation is that it will now be more because of their offense than their defense. I think the loss of Jim Johnson is likely to be felt in a big way, mostly because I have no way of gauging how Sean McDermott will do calling games in his stead. Johnson added tremendous value to the Eagles with his scheming and game day play-calling. (I do know that Josh McDaniels wanted to hire McDermott for the Broncos staff, and the Eagles denied the Broncos permission, so that may be a strong endorsement of his skills.)

I think the Eagles' offense will be in the NFL's top 5 this season, and that they'll win 10-11 games and make the playoffs. In a 6-team tournament, they could definitely come out on top, as they nearly did in 2008.

c. Dallas Cowboys - Ugh. As Drew Rosenhaus would say, next question.

d. Washington Redskins (2008 Record 8-8, missed playoffs)

Smart Personnel Moves - From a purely football standpoint, you have to like the signing of Albert Haynesworth, but he cost way too much, and the team will pay the piper down the line for that. It was sooooo Redskins, though, trying to make a big splash. Beyond that, there wasn't much to like, in my opinion.

Questionable Personnel Moves - I am not a Brian Orakpo fan, mostly because I believe the prevailing NFL thought that University of Texas players are soft because they are coddled in college. If you think about it, how many UT players have really been as advertised in the NFL? (Aaron Ross.... and ummm.... Shaun Rogers when he feels like it... and hmmmm.... Aaron Ross?) Orakpo, if he is good, would fill a major need, but I liked Robert Ayers a lot better. The rest of the draft class was tremendously underwhelming, to me. Cutting Jon Jansen this weekend was a little perplexing, as he is a lot better at RT than anybody else they have. I am not a DeAngelo Hall fan, and hopefully he draws a lot of man coverage against Eddie Royal when the Skins play the Broncos this season. I also think the Skins needed to get a legitimate kicker, and they missed that mark again, so enjoy another season of Shaun Suisham, Skins fans. It has been a problem for them since the early 90s. Also, publicly floating Jason Campbell's name, and chasing Mr. Unmentionable and Mark Sanchez was really strategically pretty stupid too. Not to be all dramatic, but I really hate just about everything about Washington's offseason.

ST&NO Outlook - I just can't find a lot of reason to get excited about this team's prospects, but I can make a case for improvement by them. I thought Jason Campbell was the best QB in the NFC in the early part of last season, but he faded late. If he returns to form, and is asked to do less West-Coast timing (Zorn) sort of stuff, he can be very good. Santana Moss is a playmaker, and Antwaan Randle El isn't (though he is widely believed to be). If Devin Thomas and/or Malcolm Kelly emerge as competent NFL starters, the Redskins can be successful in the passing game, to the extent that their below-average O-Line can keep Campbell on his feet. Clinton Portis is outstanding, as we all know, and if he can stay healthy, the running game will be pretty good.

The defense looks kind of meh. They have 4 good players, in Haynesworth, Rocky McIntosh, Chris Horton, and LaRon Landry. The rest of their defense consists of overrated, underachieving and/or declining players like London Fletcher, Andre Carter, Phillip Daniels, Carlos Rogers, MeAngelo Hall, and (Fred) Smoot Dogg. If Orakpo is good from the start, and a few of those guys have career seasons, the Redskins can be solid on defense.

Bottom line, I think this is an unbalanced and average football team. They have a great fan base, which I didn't know until I attended the HOF ceremony last season. I am sure their fans will vote their players to the Pro Bowl again, whether they deserve it or not, but this is a 6-10 win team, depending on health and luck. They have a puncher's chance against anybody on their good days, but they're not nearly as good as New York or Philadelphia.

e. Dallas Cowboys Ugh.... just, ugh!!! (2008 Record 9-7, missed playoffs)

Smart Personnel Moves - Getting rid of Terrell Owens was definitely the right thing to do, and I am actually surprised that Jerry Jones accepted the personal loss of face which was inherent to the move. I give him a lot of credit, as it was a "football-man" kind of decision. Igor Olshansky is a significant downgrade from Chris Canty at RDE, but he's better than getting castrated in a freak lawn-mower accident, I guess.

Questionable Personnel Moves - Here's the deal. When you score 362 points and give up 365, you're an average football team, and there's no other way to spin things. The Cowboys did nothing substantial this offseason, except get rid of T.O., and lose a very good player in Chris Canty. I think it was a miscalculation to think that this was a Super Bowl-caliber team last season, and it's an even bigger one now, given the measurable results of 2008. The Cowboys tend to believe their own hype, and they always think that just because their lousy players make Pro Bowls (Flozell Adams? (Safety) Roy Williams? Really!?!?!) that they are actually Pro Bowl-caliber players. This was not the offseason to stand pat, and the Cowboys did a little worse than that.

ST&NO Outlook - This is a talented, but seriously flawed team. They lack anybody very good at WR, (including Roy E. Williams) and their O-Line is really overrated, and is below average, if you want to get strictly reality-based about it. Tony Romo is a very good athlete, and he has some playmaker to him sometimes, but he makes as many bonehead throws as any QB in the NFL, and hurts the team when he does. Marion Barber is a good tandem back, but they believed the Marion-the-Barbarian foolishness, and they wore him out last season. I do like Felix Jones, but he's no workhorse either. He and Jason Witten are about the only two guys on their whole offense who I care for as players.

The defense will suffer some for the loss of Canty. He was one of the best 5-techniques in the NFL. They are about to send Greg Ellis packing, in favor of Anthony Spencer, and that's a mistake. Ellis is a good player, and Spencer is an athlete who doesn't seem to have much feel or knowledge for playing. The Cowboys will almost certainly struggle again to defend against the pass, especially in the middle of the field. Gerald Sensabaugh isn't even really an upgrade over the departed (Safety) Roy Williams, as lousy as he was.

Because there is some talent in Dallas, they can win any game they play, but they will frequently be out-executed, and beaten for that reason. I expect them to be on the same level as the Redskins, and nowhere near the class of New York and Philadelphia.

2. I'm going to wash my hands now, after writing about the Cowboys. Maybe I will brush my teeth too, as I think I may have read a few of the words aloud, to gauge how they sounded. Better safe than sorry.

3. OK, I am back. Thanks for your patience. My phone call came, and I talked for like an hour, but still I press on like I'm those craptastic Lee Nails. That's how much I want to get this up at 8:30am Monday, that I am still writing at 11:37pm on Sunday night, with close looming in the morning.

OK, quick; something shallow and nearsighted. Ummmm, OK, the Jets QB situation. Kellen Clemens is not going to beat out Mark Sanchez for the starting job, unless Sanchez misses a significant amount of camp time holding out. Take that to the bank. I don't think that Sanchez's agent, David Dunn, allows that to happen. While he is also Clemens' agent, you have to prioritize your higher-paid clients more highly.

4. I think it's very silly that Eric Steinbach's job might be in jeopardy in Cleveland. I understand that Eric Mangini values size in offensive linemen, and that Steinbach is small for the position, but he is one of the best technicians in the NFL, and he does a great job at LG for the Browns. I can think of about 20 teams who'd love to have him, if the Browns let him go.

5. I think that most of the substance of the 4-letter coverage of Brandon Marshall is a lot of rehashing of stuff that was already out there, so I am not sure what the real news value of it is. Unlike Bob Ley, I am not going to judge who is lying and who is telling the truth, but I think the letters requesting money may be telling as to the motivation of his ex-girlfriend. Brandon's appearance on OTL wasn't his best camera performance, which is probably understandable, but he was strongest when he was talking about her embellishing facts and injuries, and seeking money. Whatever the case, I hope he does a better job of controlling his emotions, and that ESPN's ratings-seeking/past-dredging/platform-granting doesn't force the NFL's hand in determining the outcome of his most recent incident with his fiancee, for which the charges were dismissed the next day.

6. As an old sailor (well, I am 31, so not that old), I love few things better than a good rooster-tail. It's indicative of a true course and steady forward progress. Check this one out, taken from my iPhone Sunday, which actually takes a pretty nice picture, unlike any other cellphone I have ever owned..

May the Broncos' course be as straight, and forward progress be as powerful as the MY Perfect Pear (lame name, I know) was Sunday. And then we can call Adam Schein and make him eat a nice helping of tasty crow. Bon appetit :)

7. Retired for John Elway.

Have a great week, and remember, optimism doesn't cost anything. Go Broncos!!

Hold On a Second

Jim Vance — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:03:06 -0000

What do Anthony Fasano, Dwayne Goodrich, Quincy Carter, Tony Dixon, Antonio Bryant, Al Johnson, Julius Jones and Jacob Rogers have in common? All were second round draft picks of the Cowboys this decade and none are still with the club. Since the Cowboys first selection in this draft is in the second round I wanted to see how successful the team has been at choosing players in that round.

Martellus Bennett, Andre Gurode and Kevin Burnett are the only second rounders still wearing the star, and that may change this week if Burnett decides to leave. A second round pick should be a contributing player after a couple of years - 3 out of 11 (27%) in nine drafts is a poor average when you consider one of the 3 was selected last year and another may be gone soon, dropping the Cowboys to (18%). This doesn't bode well for the Boys in this draft.

The Giants second rounders for this decade are - Cornelius Griffin, Tim Carter, Osi Umenyiora, Chris Snee, Corey Webster, Sinorice Moss, Steve Smith and Terrell Thomas. All but Griffin and Carter are still listed on the team roster giving the Giants 6 out of 8 second rounders for a (75%) success rate in the that round.

The Redskins Taylor Jacobs and Fred Davis are the only second round selections not still on their roster out of the following - Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Rocky McIntosh, LaDell Betts and Fred Smoot. Having 5 out of 7 second round picks still playing for the ‘Skins makes their draft success for that round at (71% ).

Listed on the current Eagles roster from this decades second round draft selections are - Trevor Laws, Desean Jackson, Kevin Kolb, Victor Abiamiri, Winston Justice, Reggie Brown , L.J. Smith and Sheldon Brown. The following were drafted by the Redskins in the second but are no longer with the club - Matt McCoy, Michael Lewis, Quinton Caver, Todd Pinkston, Bobbie Williams. 8 out of 13 second round keepers gives the Eagles a (62%) success rate.

I understand this is not exactly apples to apples and is far from scientific but take a look at the keeper rate. A high percentage of second round players who stay on the roster would indicate better draft research and a better selection process. This should translate into fewer needs at future drafts and an opportunity for the team to draft players for development and not be in a do or die scenario when your QB injures his throwing hand.

Could ranking dead last in your division in this category have anything to do with failing in the playoffs? You bet it does. Is the Cowboys poor history of drafting second round players a cause for concern this year? It is for me. Our top pick is currently in the second round at #51.

Jason Taylor's Replacement: Big Al

Ken Meringolo — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:52:54 -0000

Why not? Maybe not 100% of the time, but I really like the idea of this big guy blowing up the left and right sides of the line. If you were an offensive line, how would you feel about a defensive front that went Haynesworth, Griffin, Montgomery, Golston? The LB's in this package would be Carter, Fletcher and McIntosh. That is a hell of a front 7, right? Depending on who we draft, there could be a rookie stud DE/OLB to mix into this as well. Who is going to run on this front? (don'tsaybrandonjacobsdon'tsaybrandonjacobsdon'tsaybrandonjacobs)

When you watch tape of Haynesworth, do you get the impression there are many offensive linemen that can nullify this guy? He needs to move around the defensive line, similar to the way the Packers moved Reggie White around the line. He can't just be camped out in the middle all season. By the end of last year, it became painfully obvious to our opponents that the path to beating us was around the end. Dallas showed the world this with what seemed like 5 or 6 straight off-tackle and sweep plays in one game-defining series. Carter specifically got man-handled at the line by bigger and stronger offensive linemen. I just don't see the same thing happening to Big Al. On any given play, you want to see the offense trying to find where Haynesworth is, and trying to adjust themselves appropriately, possibly causing them to overcompensate and allow for someone else to come uncovered into the backfield. So a lot will and SHOULD be asked of Big Al.

***Is he going to be up to it? That all feeds into the other big story of the last week.

In today's USA Today (as pointed out in the Daily Slop), Dan Snyder insists that the Haynesworth signing is not an indication the team is slipping into old habits. Of course, the rest of the world points to 100 million reasons that might signal they are. When Snyder points out this is a 27 year old defensive lineman that was clearly the top guy available, I think he makes a valid point about some actual learning taking place. How many 7-year deals did he give dudes who were not just 30, but well into their 30's? I would not suggest any of us hold our breath waiting for Haynesworth to play out this contract under the current salary cap rules...but these rules may very well not apply by the time this contract gets into its back-loaded period. And if that is the case, then the second part of this contract is essentially a second contract. So for all of those out there complaining that Haynesworth only plays for contracts, take a closer look at this deal--he will be playing to not get cut before he makes the second half of his money.

So we have a 27 year old player playing for big bucks now, but also trying to ensure he sees the second half of this deal when he turns 31. I am thinking he has plenty to play for and plenty of motivation. You might even give Snyder a nod on this one, if the salary cap goes away of course.

Losing Jason Taylor sucks, but not because he was so great for us. It sucks because we got one year out of him for the 2nd and 6th round picks we gave up. That is just a KILLER! We do get a little younger by releasing Taylor and adding Haynesworth to the d-line. And we do get a lot meaner and physical with the addition of #92. But losing those picks for 3.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble is unacceptable...unforgiveable.

Which is why we need Haynesworth to man up and play every position of the defensive line this year, and in future years. He needs to bring production from the end position as well as the inside tackle position. For us to salvage any sense out of the mess Vinny and Danny got us into, as well as to salvage any hope that Danny is right and he is turning the page, we need Haynesworth to wear multiple hats. No matter where he lines up, it should stay simple for Big Al:

Should Texans Fans Watch The Combine?

Jake — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:42:35 -0000

Its mid February and the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine is almost upon us. As I have stated before, I personally am not a huge fan of the Combine because I believe too much emphasis is placed on the drills that the players perform. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t know how fast a guy is and the league should stop testing them in the 40 yard dash; that would be absolutely silly. I just think that the Combine was something that started off as another good tool for general managers to add with all the other steps they took to evaluate and eventually decide if a player was right for them or not, but somewhere along the way it went from a measuring stick to the end-all/be-all of player evaluation.

I’m not alone with my opinion of the Combine. Even Mike Mayock, who is employed as a draft analyst by NFL Network and therefore by the league itself, has criticized the Combine occasionally. He makes good points too, citing the difference between what he calls “functional playing speed and manufactured speed.” The only player that is going to run perfectly straight for 40 yards in a game is a WR, and even he isn’t going to do it from a three point stance.

Proponents of the Combine will be quick to tell you that the myriad drills simulate and test the physical talents you need to play in the NFL no matter what the position, and that the Combine is a venue where athletes from smaller schools can be sized up against players from larger programs while all in the same setting. The problems I have with these arguments are 1) many of the athletes choose not to participate in the other drills (in fact the majority only do the 40 yard dash and the bench press), and 2) the athletes all compete but they do so in athleticism tests, not at football.

For all my whining about the Combine, there is one thing I can’t refute--I will spend a lot of time watching and reading coverage of the event. What can I say? I love the NFL, and the only things happening in the league in mid to late February happen in Indianapolis. Interesting stories always come from putting that many front office personnel in one place during free agency, and draft speculation abounds, which helps me through my withdrawals from football, which are really bad right now (I tried watching basketball the other night and just felt cheap).

The biggest reason, however, that I will be paying close attention is not listed above. While it may not interest you to learn how I feel about the player tests, it will certainly be in your best interest to know how Gary Kubiak and Rick Smith feel about them. Unfortunately, we don’t regularly swap phone calls and I’m not exactly on their e-mail distribution lists. So in the absence of asking them, I took a look at how their draft decisions might have been influenced by the Combine since they took over in 2006, and I think you might be surprised at what I found.

Let me set the record straight by saying that there is no way of knowing that a good or bad Combine performance directly led to Smithiak taking or passing on particular players. They obviously looked at intangibles such as if they fit or respective schemes; Alex Gibbs’ zone blocking system, Kyle Shannahan’s vertical passing attack, or the lack of scheme in the case of Richard Smith’s Defense (sorry, still bitter). Also, some people around the league will roll the dice on a draftee with “personality problems”, but Kubiak and Smith placed a high priority on detecting if a player is right for our locker room, which I’m proud to say seems like a deal-breaker for whether or not they would add someone to the roster.

Draft analysts have identified another trend with the Texans besides looking for players with good character that fit their schemes. In May of every year, most of the articles about the Texans center on the fact that we “reached” for our draft selections. The most notorious of the "reaches" was in the first Texans draft in which Kubiak participated. Every so-called expert slighted us for taking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush, and comparisons were immediately made to passing on Michael Jordan. While Super Mario’s play since then has vindicated that pick, the criticism for other drafts has been the same. While I have confidence that Kubiak and Smith know what they’re doing, I’ve often wondered why we continually take players before they’re “supposed” to be picked. With the Combine coming up now, I decided to try and discern if the famous scouting event might be part of the reason.

Author’s Note: I have to admit that my brother Tyler (a.k.a. Prussian) also inspired me to take a closer look at the Combine. The research for this post was extremely difficult. Thanks Ty.

The way I went about analyzing how the Combine affected their decisions was definitely not what you might call exact, but I feel it gives insight nonetheless. I looked specifically at the players that the Texans drafted in the first four rounds in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (I used only the first four rounds because I believe any player you select in rounds 5-7 is an educated guess and therefore the “reach” theory doesn’t apply). First I took note of where they were projected to be drafted and where we actually took them. With the “reaching” trend in mind, I then researched their combine performances, and tried to determine if the way they tested could have influenced our early selection of that player. Lastly, I tried to compare the player we selected with other players at the position that were still available who were projected before or near our draftee in an effort to see if the respective combine performances were drastically different. I realize that this process is limited because it assumes that Kubiak and Smith were drafting for a specific position, but the idea of analyzing every position of need instead of the position we took makes my head hurt. Call me lazy.

2006 Draft:

Mario Williams – DE – NC State. Obviously everyone thought that Mario Williams was a reach. In fact, as long as we’re being honest, I wasn’t thrilled either. I didn’t think it was terrible overall, I just didn’t understand why they didn’t trade down if they knew they weren’t going to take Reggie Bush or Vince Young. Later, after I found out that there were pretty much no deals on the table, I was ok with it. Mario, as you would expect, had a great Combine. Comparing Mario to any other DEs would be unnecessary because it was pretty much unanimous that he was going to be the first defensive player taken. It seems apparent that the mixture of need on defense and not being sure about Young and Bush as franchised players led to this decision, not the Combine.

DeMeco Ryans – LB – Alabama. DeMeco was projected to be a first round selection, which he missed by one pick after being selected 33rd overall. DeMeco had a good Combine, but was pretty comparable with both Thomas Howard and Roger McIntosh. Howard’s 4.42 was much faster than both Ryans’ and McIntosh’s 40 times, while the results of everything else were very similar. If the Texans were just using the combine, they would have missed out on the 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Many reports cite DeMeco’s uncommon intelligence and character as the reason he was chosen before the other two candidates.

Charles Spencer – OG – Pittsburgh. Spencer was taken slightly early with the first pick of the third round, as he was supposed to be selected either later in the round or the beginning of the fourth. Both Max Jean-Giles and Jason Spitz were projected as higher values, but at the Combine Spencer showed that he was bigger, stronger and faster, which was enough for the Texans to look past fluctuating weight and motor issues and pick him before the other two candidates. Score one for the Combine.

Eric Winston – OT – Miami. Winston actually slipped, as he was supposed to be selected in the second round, possibly even late in the first. He was clearly the better athlete among Paul McQuistan, Rashad Butler (yes I know Butler plays for us now) and pretty much every other OT still left. Questions as to whether Winston had the footwork to play LT was the primary reason he slid so far; coincidentally, these questions arose after scouts observed poor testing at the Combine, which obviously didn’t faze the Texans that much.

Owen Daniels – TE – Wisconsin. OD was selected in the very beggining of the fourth round, which was a round earlier than he was projected. Daniels had a decent Combine but nothing that was earth-shattering. The Texans likely saw something in him that sparked their interest outside of his 4.65 40 time so they decided to take him early. Then again, the alternatives were Garrett Mills and Jason Pociask. I’ve never heard of them either.

2007 Draft:

Amobi Okoye – DT – Loiusville. Amobi may or may not have been considered a reach depending on where you looked for pre-draft projections. Some people had him slated as a mid to late first round pick, while others thought he belonged in the early first round range, which is where we consequently selected him with the 10th overall pick. Okoye ran a 5.06 40 and had 29 bench press reps, which were fairly comparable numbers to both Alan Branch and Justin Harrell. Harrell, who was projected as a late first round pick, ran a 5.10 and had 24 reps. Branch, who was projected as a mid first round pick, ran a 5.04 and had 33 reps, which was technically better than Okoye’s. In the end, Okoye’s age (19) and his lights-out performance at the Senior Bowl is probably what led to the Texans taking him before all other DT prospects.

Jacoby Jones – WR – Lane. Jones was definitely considered a reach when we selected him with the 9th pick in the third round, as he was not slated to be picked until somewhere between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth rounds. At the Combine, Jones ran a 4.53, which was ok for a 6’2” receiver who weighs 205. Yamon Figurs, Jason Hill and Paul Williams all had better Combine numbers. Also, Figurs was the only receiver smaller than Jacoby, while Hill and Williams were just about the same size but ran faster at the Combine. I’m not saying they were right, but it doesn’t seem like Smithiak selected Jones based off just his Combine performance.

Fred Bennett – CB – South Carolina. Bennett could be considered a reach because he was taken in the fourth while he was projected in the fifth, but this is misleading. The 2007 draft had an amazing run on CBs that I don’t think anyone could have seen coming. By the time the Texans selected Bennett with the 7th pick in the fourth round, there were only a couple of CBs with better Combine performances, but none had Bennett’s mix of athleticism (4.55) and size (6’1”, 196). It seems like Smithiak realized they waited too long to take a CB and they picked the best available.

2008 Draft:

Duane Brown – OT – Virginia Tech. Brown was considered by most, if not all, to be a reach when we selected him 26th overall after our trade down with Baltimore. He was slated to be taken around the middle of the third round, and many speculated that his impressive performance at the Combine enticed the Texans to be impatient. His 5.08 40 time was the fastest of all lineman, and he was one of the few to participate in the vertical, shuttle and cone drills, which showed confidence in his athletic ability. When I was trying to find players to compare him to, however, I found something startling; there were none. Brown was the sixth OT taken, and between him and the third round (when he was supposed to be taken) there were only three OL selected--two guards and one center. Obviously the Texans needed a OT and they saw that they were getting scarce so they took Brown. The fact that he knew how to block in a zone blocking system and he had a great combine was a plus, but they were smart to take him when they did since OT was a priority.

Antwaun Molden – CB – Eastern Kentucky. This wasn’t a reach in the classical sense because he was taken with the 16th pick in the third round, which fulfilled his mid third round projection, but there were two CBs still available, Justin King and Tyvon Branch, who were projected for the second round. While King’s 4.37 time and Branch’s 4.33 time were both faster than Molden’s 4.44 time, Antwaun put on a show at the Combine by adding 23 reps and a 37.5 inch vertical to his 40, which was far better than both King and Branch. This is probably a clear-cut case of the Combine causing the Texans to draft someone before they were “supposed” to be taken. Side note: I didn’t realize that Molden was such an impressive athlete. Hopefully he can translate that athleticism to success on the field next year.

Steve Slaton – RB – West Virginia. With the 26th pick of the third round, the Texans took Slaton slightly earlier than his early to mid fourth round projection. After his phenomenal sophomore season at WVU, Slaton was talked about as a potential first round pick in the 2008 draft. His production diminished his junior year, which worried scouts, and ironically, he was compared to Reggie Bush (see comments above about taking Mario instead of Bush) as a RB that could not run between the tackles and would be injury-prone due to his size. His 4.44 time was one of the better runs, which was to be expected of a smaller RB who was only 5’9”, but his 33.5 inch vertical was better than all but one, showing how good of an athlete Slaton is. This performance was slightly better than Tashard Choice, who was the only other back on the board who fit the mold of speed back, which I believe the Texans were specifically targeting. Maybe the Combine gave him a slight edge, but I would tend to believe that it was more because of his starting experience that the Texans ended up selecting Slaton. Whatever it was, I’m ok with it.

Xavier Adibi – LB – Virginia Tech. Adibi was actually taken after he was supposed to be, which is a rarity when it comes to the Texans’ drafts. Adibi’s 4.69 time was comparable with Bryan Kehl ,who was still on the board, but was slower than Stanford Keglar. Also, both Kehl and Keglar tested in the bench press, vertical, shuttle, and cone dirlls, all of which Adibi did not. Even though Adibi was impressive, he was obviously not taken for his Combine performance.

Overall, I’m actually surprised by what I found when researching for this article. I expected that the Texans’ commonly documented tendency of taking players earlier than most think they should was directly associated with stellar Combine performances, but for the most part that wasn’t the case. As for the “reaching” theory, I would much rather Kubiak and Smith be proactive, i.e., “We know this guy will be great and he might not be there next round” than reactive, i.e., “Well, everyone thinks this guy is going to be good and I guess we got lucky that he fell to us.”

We commonly praise the Texans for their ability to find talent in the later rounds, as we should. I guess I should not be surprised to see that they are not relying just on the Combine to simply plug in “the most talented player”, but rather using it as a tool that is combined with scouting diligence to determine overall intelligence, character and talent of prospective Texans. Having said all this, I’m sure they still scrutinize the Combine heavily. And so will I.

Redskins Roundtable

Skin Patrol — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:42:00 -0000

Indebted to Dillweed of Post Game Heroes [ED NOTE: Their post is up here] for taking the iniative on the initial Redskins Roundtable, currently involving just a small smattering of questions between myself, Dillweed, and Ben of the Curly R [ED Note: His post is up here] (who also revealed his Blogger Deathsport picks; he's actually good). Questions w/ answers from Ben and Dillweed posted below, make sure you check their sites periodically throughout the day for my responses to their questions. Enjoy:

1. What do you consider our biggest strength going into the regular season?

Dillweed: I agree with Will, it's the linebackers. Our running backs are good…not great, and the defensive line seems to be average at best. It's hard to say Corners are our strength when the D-line (and blitzes) aren't getting to the quarterback. With LaRon Landry back our safety position looks a lot stronger, but I have a huge concern at Strong Safety. We just need to
find a guy that can occasionally cover while primarily being a weapon in
the box, and I don't think we've found that guy just yet. On offense, our
passing game is unknown to us…we'll find out a lot more about it this
Thursday.

Ben: It has got to be the defense, despite some changes in personnel, Phillip Daniels out and Jason Taylor in, and some injuries, safety LaRon Landry's hamstring, linebacker Marcus Washington's hip and cornerback Shawn Springs bruised calf, this unit has managed the proverbial continuity Joe Gibbs was hoping for at the end of his second term in Washington. They get started a little dinged with linebacker Rocky McIntosh and cornerback Carlos Rogers coming back from inury in addition to those mentioned above, this unit should get better as the season wears on.

2. What about the team makes you want to resort to alcohol abuse to
help numb the pain?

Dillweed: Reed Doughty. It's really not all his fault either…we have been
absolutely spoiled with Sean Taylor and LaRon Landry. Doughty's mistakes
in the run and passing game have been amplified this preseason because of those two guys. I still haven't adjusted to the fact that teams will
throw deep on us. I mean just a year ago that was something you couldn't
do…ask Brett Favre. If we had a defensive line that could apply pressure
then I wouldn't be so worried about having a weak link in coverage at
SS…but we don't. And even if Doughty improves in his run defense, which I
think he will in a hurry, what does that leave us with…Adam Archueleta?

Ben: The FUD factor, fear, uncertainty and disarray. Fear of weak offensive line play and nagging injuries, uncertainty in the strength of Jason Campbell's coming 2008 performance, disarray if the team gets off to a weak start or a large part of the team is simply not working right.

3. Which NFC East team worries you the most? How do you think we
will fare against our division foes?

Dillweed: With Sean Taylor, I never feared T.O. I looked forward to playing him and seeing him get shut down almost every game. But now…Dallas kinda scares me. Giants are very physical but as long as Elijah is their QB I'm not too worried about them. And the Eagles refuse to just open up the check book to hire ONE FREAKIN WR. I'm so glad I'm not an Eagles fan. It's one thing to just absolutely suck, but to have an obvious, and easily curable,
weakness never taken care of year after year…that's gotta make you
suicidal. I think we split with the Giants, Eagles…and hopefully Dallas
too.

Ben: The Eagles, always the Eagles, they are the Redskins principal division rival now, I expect the Redskins will split with the Giants and Cowboys, depending whether the Eagles progress back toward the team they have been for most of the past decade or regress toward the end of the Andy Reid slash Donovan McNabb era, remember how surprising it felt to beat them in game two last season in Philadelphia and how unsurprising it felt to lose to them in Washington seven game later? The Redskins are looking at best at 3-3 in the division, a more realistic assessment may be 2-4.

4. What will our regular season record be? How far do we make it
into the post-season (if at all)?

Dillweed: 9-7…Our running game and defense are the same…schematic wise at least, and I like the continuity on those fronts. I think the passing game won't hurt us during the home games, JC seems to play a lot better at home. However, the away games are where JC will be tested and probably fail early on. I think we go 6-2 at home and manage to pull out 3 wins on the
road. If we make it to the playoffs, we might get one win, but I'd be
surprised (and really freakin happy) to see us go past that.

Ben: My walk through the schedule has the Redskins somewhere between 4-12 and 10-6, depending on whether this team comes together and stays together, or not. If the Redskins finish 10-6 that should be good for a wild card playoff berth, maybe not, the NFC could be more competitive than the past two years, ie fewer 8-8 teams vying for playoff spots.

I'd like to expand this feature to either include more questions and/or more bloggers in the future, though give me some feedback for now on whether this is goodness or badness. It's greatness for me since Ben and Dillweed know more about the 'Skins than I do.