SB Nation - Stephon Heyer

Cowboys Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:53:05 -0000

Here is the report on who practiced and who didn't yesterday for the Cowboys.

Marc Colombo, OT - No Practice (Ankle)
Ken Hamlin, S - No Practice (Ankle)
Allen Rossum, CB - No Practice (Hamstring)

David Buehler, K - Limited Practice (Toe)

Marion Barber, RB - Full Practice (Thumb)
Mike Jenkins, CB - Full Practice (Elbow)
Gerald Sensabaugh, S - Full Practice (Thumb)
DeMarcus Ware, LB - Full Practice (Foot)

Make the jump for the Redskins' injury report.

Chris Cooley, TE - No Practice (Ankle) - OUT
Clinton Portis, RB - No Practice (Concussion)
Albert Haynesworth, DT - No Practice (Ankle)
Mike Williams, OT - No Practice (Ankle)

Stephon Heyer, OT - Limited Practice (Knee)

Ladell Betts, RB - Full Practice (Ankle)

Redskins vs Cowboys: Haynesworth & Corner Blitzing are the Keys to Victory

KevinE — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:19:16 -0000

Well, it's Cowboys week and if there's ever a time to stay medium, this is the week. Vegas opened the line with Cowboys as 13 point favorites, which America bold-heartedly disagrees with as the line has moved down to -11. In my weekly routine of combing over the opponent's offensive stats, the Cowboys are damn impressive. They average a 2^nd best rushing yards per carry (5.1), but only rank 24^th in the league in rushing attempts. Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett has been catching a LOT of heat this week in Big D for abandoning the run, so I expect the Skins D to face a lot of rushes early.

Their passing game is equally as scary with a league leading 11 passing plays that have gone for 40+ yards, while Romo has only given up a measly 6 INTs so far. November is Romo's month, 15-2 for his career, but alas....one of those losses was against the burgundy & gold.

Whichever team runs the ball well is going to win, and looking at the rushing statistics, it's clear Albert Hanyesworth is without doubt the key to this game. He was wearing a protective boot for his sprained ankle yesterday, but is expected to play. Special thanks to HH member PommyLee for putting the following graphs together.

This chart visualizes the power runs, which is the % success rate rushing the ball on 3^rd or 4^th down with under 2 yards to get the 1^st down. Dallas has a 100% success rate running right in short yardage situations while Stephon Heyer and the Redskins have a 0% success rate running the same way:

Even though the Cowboys have a lot of success running right in short yardage situations, their success is running the ball left and up the middle. This next chart shows the number of rushes for each team left, right, and up the middle. Just under half of the Cowgirls' big play rushes are to the left. Phillip Daniels has his work cut out for him as this chart shows:

PommyLee: Dallas has 5 negative yard plays running right which I assume must all be sweeps on early downs considering their 100% success in short yardage. Even though we have 0% success running right in short yardage we get some success with long runs running right and left

Moving over to the passing game, pressure is IMPERATIVE. The Cowgirls have allowed a 19^th worst 22 sacks. Green Bay deserves a lot of credit since they notched 5 sacks last week. Don Capers used a 3-4 scheme and blitzed relentlessly to major success:

"They have a good scheme, they throw a lot of guys around and they have good players who know how to (blitz) and it just made for confusion from time to time," Romo said

Romo has actually struggled against all the 3-4 defenses he's faced. In regards to pressure, Defensive Coordinator Greg Blache prefers to blitz the safeties, but he has changed that up this year. In the squeaker win over Tampa, Blache blitzed all the corners at least once with Tryon drawing the most praise:

"[Tryon] brings that mentality of special teams to defense," [Secondary Coach Jerry] Gray said. "[Now] you've brought in a guy who has reckless abandon to go and make plays. Justin could have blitzed and when the quarterback scrambled away, but he accelerated and didn't slow down until he got his hands on him. That's the mentality they teach on special teams. It carries over."

The Cowboys O-line is banged up, which the Redskins welcome, especially Andre Carter. Right Tackle Marc Columbo is likely gone for the year, and Doug Free will step in, who has never started a game before.

If the Skins show a 3-4 at times, it's imperative they get pressure with Haynesworth in the middle. The big man also takes away the rush the middle...if he can make it through this game without injury, that $100 million contract might just be worth it.

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins; Friday Injury Report

Tim Lynch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:49:13 -0000

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
Josh Barrett (S)	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Ryan Harris (RT)	Toe	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	OUT
Brandon Marshall (WR)	Back	Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Ryan McBean (DL)	Knee	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
Chris Cooley (TE)	Ankle	Out	Out	Out	OUT
Ladell Betts (RB)	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation	Questionable
Clinton Portis (RB)	Concussion	Did Not Participate	Out	Out	OUT
Mike Williams (T)	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Out	Out	OUT
Jason Campbell (QB)	Ankle	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Hunter Smith (P)	Right Groin	Limited Participation	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation	Questionable
Byron Westbrook (CB)	Knee	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable
Stephon Heyer (T)	Knee	Not Listed	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable

Ail Will the Redskins, Ail My Sprained Knee

KevinE — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:43:34 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Injury Report for the Redskins vs Broncos will likely need 2-3 sheets of paper.

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Injury Report is a doozy this week.

Redskins will be continuing their patch work as they face the Denver Broncos this weekend. Zorn stated the Redskins will be looking to sign a RB with Portis "doubtful." Any guesses on this one?

Larry Johnson, who was recently released by the Chiefs, is the likely option. Be the first to get your LJ Redskins jersey!! Or, will Anthony Alridge get the hat trick with his 3rd signing this year with the burgundy and gold? Never a dull moment folks! Cerrato must be loving all the fun work he has to bring in another offensive weapon. Hopefully the Redskins don't lose a draft pick out of all this.

In other news, with the Mike Williams injury (ligament damage in ankle 2-4 weeks), Stephon Heyer will move back to right tackle, and Levi Jones will start at left tackle.

Other Injuries: Chris Horton is out 4-6 weeks (toe). Reed Doughty and Jason Campbell will be OK.

It's maddening how many injuries the Redskins have. Brian Mitchell, as expected, went off in the post-game show stating all this, especially the bad tackling, is a result of the easy training camp the players had. BMitch went on to add that the Redskins did not do any tackling drills in camp, which is clearly evident in the games and lack of effort. Again, one can blame Zorn, but Blache to me seems to be the one that doesn't care. His players are continually committing inexcusable, dumb penalties. I can't possibly see him wanting to stay here another year.

The media outlets that went to multiple training camps said the Redskins camp was very light compared to the others. A lot of the retired players on the major networks have also vocalized their distaste for the music over the loud speakers at practice. They said it absolutely sends the wrong message. Since I haven't been to any other NFL camps but the Redskins, it's hard for me to say one way or the other. The week I was there, there definitely were not any tackling drills that I saw, but they did tackle during their scrimmage drills.

Either way, each week just gets more laughable. Anyone want to guess how many of our week 1 starters will be out week 17 due to injury? 50%?

Breaking Down the Key Plays in the Panthers' First Win

Ryan Basen — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:31:37 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

Washington Redskins' Clinton Portis (26) is tackled by Carolina Panthers' Thomas Davis (58) and Julius Peppers (90) for a safety in the first half Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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This was ugly. The Panthers' first win of the 2009 season was so unsightly that ESPN did not air a single highlight from the game for the first THREE hours of SportsCenter Sunday night.

(Even the Browns-Bills game got a little ESPN love, although that may have been because that game was not just ugly but historically inept).

Sunday's win over Washington was a test of the Panthers' character, however, and probably one of their most fulfilling victories in the John Fox era. While the Redskins were self-destructing, Carolina's special teams and its beleaguered defense made a handful of big plays to secure the victory -- including four that spurred the second-half rally from a 15-point deficit. Here is an in-depth look at those key plays:

The situation: Washington ball, 2nd-and-8 at its own 3. 8:30 to play in the second quarter. 7-0 Washington.

Formations: Washington came out in an I-formation with a tight end on each side and a wideout split left. Carolina stacked nine players in the box, with a corner in press coverage.

What happened: Redskins tailback Cliinton Portis ran a stretch play right and was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

How it happened: Portis took the handoff and followed fullback Mike Sellers towards the edge. Defensive end Julius Peppers shed Washington tackle Stephon Heyer and closed in on Portis. Linebacker Thomas Davis lined up in the middle and shot a gap in the Washington line untouched, coming quickly behind Portis. Sellers continued to run wide, right past Peppers, likely expecting Heyer to block Peppers. Peppers appeared to miss Portis, but slowed him, and Davis cleaned him up.

Analysis: It's hard to understand why the Redskins ran wide this close to their goal line, especially with two backups on the offensive line. But give the Panthers credit for taking advantage and pulling within 7-2 just two plays after a deflating goal-line stand by Washington.

The situation: Washington kicking off from its own 30. 10 minutes left in the third quarter. 17-2 Washington.

Formations: Both teams lined up in ordinary kickoff formations.

What happened: Kenneth Moore returned the kickoff 55 yards to the Washington 40.

How it happened: Moore caught the kick in the right corner at his own 5, ran straight and then took steps to his left. When he got to the 14, he quickly veered right and sprinted through a hole near the sideline. Moore juked kicker Shaun Suisham at the 35 and sprinted down the sideline until Washington's Devin Thomas forced him to step out of bounds.

Analysis: A great play by Moore and two holds that were not called. When he got to the 14, Moore likely saw Sellers flying down the field unblocked to his left. He smartly veered to his right and flew through a hole that was created in part when a teammate tackled a Redskins at the 24. After Moore juked the kicker, another teammate appeared to hold Thomas for several yards as the Redskins receiver gave chase, allowing Moore to run for at least another 10 yards until Thomas knocked him out.

The old adage, of course, is you could call holding on every play in the NFL. So credit Moore and the Panthers for seizing the opportunity that jump started a comeback. Four plays later quarterback Jake Delhomme hit tight end Jeff King for a 17-yard touchdown. The extra point drew Carolina within 17-9 only 90 seconds after Porits had scored on a 1-yard run -- and maybe 89 seconds after thousands of Panthers fans had pondered heading for the exit (THIS time, I would not have blamed them).

As FOX analyst Brian Billick pointed out, "This (kickoff return) is what Carolina had to have."

The situation: 4th-and-3, Washington, at the Carolina 37. 2:30 to play in the third. 17-9 Washington.

Formations: Washington lined up with three receivers, including two on the right side and a tight end on the right. The Panthers stacked seven in the box, with the corners in press coverage.

What happened: Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell threw a slant pass for receiver Santana Moss, but a Panthers lineman knocked it down.

How it happened: After a quick dropback, Campbell fired to his left for Moss, who was split left and fired inside of the Panthers' corner. Center Casey Rabach blocked a Panthers tackle well, but the tackle (whom I could not identify from replays) jumped when Campbell threw and got a hand on the pass. The ball harmlessly fell incomplete.

Analysis: Davis got credit for batting this pass on the telecast, but the blitzing linebacker did not appear to touch it. Credit whichever Panther made this pay, because Moss was in good position to make the catch for the first down.

This play was huge, but just as their was a hero, there was also a goat -- or multiple goats. Washington had countered the King touchdown by moving 36 yards in seven plays for a first down at the Carolina 44. Then tight end Chris Cooley missed a block, leading to a 1-yard loss on a Ladell Betts run. Two players later Cambell hit receiver Antwaan Randle El for 12 yards on third-and-11, moving the ball to the Carolina 33. But the play was negated because left tackled D'Anthony Batiste lined up off the line of scrimmage.

A completion to tight end Fred Davis moved Washington to the 37, setting up the fourth-down play. With an 8-point lead, a defense playing well and a sputtering offense, Zorn could have tried to pin the Panthers deep on a punt. Instead he chose to go for it -- and then burned a timeout to call a play the Redskins had already used multiple times on the drive. You think the Panthers did not expect a slant pass? Check the replay. If Washington had called for Campbell to pump fake, Moss would likely have run wide open down the left sideline.

It's plays like these that make me think Zorn will get fired well before John Fox.

The situation: 4th-and-15, Carolina, at the Carolina 46. 10 minutes to play. 17-12 Washington.

Formations: The teams lined up in ordinary punt and punt return formations.

What happened: Panthers safety Quinton Teal pushed Washington's Byron Westbrook into punt returner Randle El, the ball struck Westbrook's foot and the Panthers recovered it at the Washington 13.

How it happened: Randle El had signalled for a fair catch, meaning no Panther could get too close to him. But the rulebook allows for the punt team to push opponents into the return man, as long as the opponent is engaged in a block. Westbrook and Teal were engaged when Teal shoved him into RandleEl, knocking both Redskins onto the ground. The ball struck Westbrook's heel and caromed towards the end zone, where Carolina recovered it.

Analysis: A great play by Teal and an alert play by his teammates who chased the loose ball. Two plays later the Panthers took the lead on a Jonathan Stewart run and added a 2-point conversion.

On the other side, Zorn burned a second timeout challenging the call because he thought what Teal did was against the rules. He did not challenge the the fumble, because it was clear the ball hit Westbrook.

The situation: Third-and-7, Washington, on the Washington 47. 6 minutes to play. 20-17 Carolina.

Formations: Washington lined up in the shotgun with three receivers (two to the right side), one back and a tight end on the left. The Panthers were in a 4-3 with their corners a couple yards off and safeties deep.

What happened: Campbell scrambled up the middle, but was tackled by defensive ends Tyler Brayton and Everette Brown for a 1-yard gain. Washington then punted.

How it happened: A Panthers tackle beat Washington guard Mike Williams with a quick rush up the middle, flushing Campbell up in the pocket. As Campbell ran, the tackle dove and got just enough of Campbell to make him stagger. Brayton and Brown were able to converge on Campbell and tackle him at the Washington 48.

Analysis: A great play by the tackle, whose identity was skewed by the lack of a good FOX replay. Campbell had a lot of space. Had the tackle not hit him, he likely would have scrambled for the first down and more.

The Panthers also caught a break when the Redskins made another mistake two players earlier. Thomas got open deep and Campbell hit him in stride with a bomb inside the Panthers 20. But Thomas dropped the ball for an incompletion. Even earlier in the drive, Washington burned its last timeout when Campbell could not engineer an audible and beat the play clock.

The Redskins punted after the Campbell scramble and the Panthers burned the final five-plus minutes of the game. They earned the victory. It was ugly, but give them credit. While the Redskins blew several chances in the second half, the Panthers were smart and opportunistic.

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

Maryland Minute 8.26.09 - DLine Help on the Way?, More Analysis of Bball Schedule, Gloria Friedgen

Ben Goldstein — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:58:52 -0000

I think we could use some of that on the D-line...

View full size photo »

Greetings Testudo Times Readers,

In case you haven't noticed (and you probably haven't), I took a little summer sabbatical over the last couple months. After an offseason that included Greivis returning, Mychal Parker committing, and the football team training, it's time to return, once again, to College Park and the Testudo Times blog. I'll be taking some of the MM duties from bbroman as his schedule starts to heat up. (I know, I'm disappointed too.) So without further ado, your links for the day...

Former D.C. Blue-chipper Eyeing MD Transfer

You have to be an IMS subscriber to read the full article but you can still get a significant amount of info from the jump. Basically, Tony Tucker, a sophomore defensive end who was ranked as one of the ten best at his position coming out of high school, is looking to transfer from Pitt to MD because of family reasons. You would assume that the staff would have interest seeing as Tucker is a talented player and D-Line is somewhat of a weak area. The question then becomes, could Tucker get cleared to play this season or would he have to sit out a year or transfer to a D1-AA school instead. Predicting how the NCAA will rule in terms of clearing people and eligibility is pretty much a crapshoot but it's a situation worth keeping an eye on. If Tucker is somehow cleared to play for this season, it would be a huge boost to a young defense on the rise.

D1SCOURSE Takes a Look at Men's BBall Non-Conference Schedule

No earth-breaking news here but Pat Stevens does throw in some interesting numbers, compiling the 08-09 records and RPIs of all the non-conference opponents the Terps are slated to face this season.

Basically, Maryland will play four top-100 teams from last season in its 14 nonconference games --- barring a surprising meeting with Colorado.

The Terps will play just as many teams from the bottom 30 --- basically, the bottom 10 percent --- of Division I, plus a Division II team.

D1SCOURSE's prediction for the OOC schedule: Gary and Co. shouldn't be any worse than 11-3 entering ACC play.

My take: I'd be a little disappointed with anything worse than 12-2. Man, I can't wait for basketball season...

A Closer Look at Gloria Friedgen

Jeff Barker from The Baltimore Sun has a nice piece about Gloria Friedgen and her many roles on the Terps football team. The article covers what it is like to be the wife of a major Division 1 football coach and her role as "permanent team Mom."

Redshirt Freshman Hartsfield Ready to Contribute

Hartsfield is slated to start at weakside linebacker for the Terps this fall and has had a pretty impressive camp by all accounts. Fridge and Linebacker's Coach Al Seamonson have some high praise for a guy they think can be a four year starter and a player at the next level.

"The way he's played in the spring and the way he's playing right now, we're excited about him," Friedgen said. "And the fact he has four more years of eligibility, we're very excited about. He's playing with much more confidence than he did last year."

Former Terrapin, Stephon Heyer Wins Redskins' Starting Right Tackle Job

I'm not a Redskins fan but I can still find it in my heart to congratulate a fellow Terrapin. To come into the league as an undrafted free agent and work all the way up to a starting right tackle is pretty impressive...

ESPN biased towards UNC, Dook- D1SCOURSE

ESPN's family of networks will be televising 24 games involving either Dook and/or UNC. Maryland? We get three games on ESPN. All three are against either Carolina or the Dookies. In fact, ESPN will not be televising one ACC conference game that does not involve at least one of the two Tobacco Road schools. I guess it pays to win two national championships in five years. Or in Duke's case, it just pays to be hated.

Men's BBall Season Tickets Available to General Public

If you're not a multi-million dollar booster or a student you probably haven't been able to catch many ACC Terps game in person. Well, for the first time in a while, season tickets are now available to the general public. The seats aren't great (between row 16-19 in section 204, 211, 217, or 224) and the price is $600 a ticket. But hey, can you really put a price on Greivis shimmying or Gary's fist pump?

Statistically, Redskins Are Not Likely to Improve From Last Year

KevinE — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:30:21 -0000

via Football Outsiders Almanac 2009

View full size photo »

One of the perks of writing for SB Nation is that they give us access to excellent resources, such as Football Outsiders (FO), who records the in-depth statistics of every play for every team. We were fortunate enough to get an advanced copy of the FO Almanac, which has some great in-depth analysis and statistics of every team, including the Redskins. There are a lot of stats that stand out from the 2008 season, one of which being:

Washington posted their three worst offensive DVOA totals in Week 8 (when Samuels was inactive with that balky knee) and Weeks 15 and 17, when he was gone for the year.

So basically, Chris Samuels cannot get hurt. Ever. To get a further understanding of the Redskins woes from 2008, Football Outsiders answered our questions:

Hogs Haven: In your FO Almanac, you said:

"Zone-blitzing the Redskins may not be the wisest move. Washington faced more zone blitzes than any other offense - 7.1 percent of pass plays - and shredded those blitzes with 89.1% DVOA, the best in the NFC."

What types of defenses was it that the Redskins struggled so much against? Opposing teams seemed to get pressure on Jason Campbell with even a 4-man rush, so I'd be curious to know those stats since the offense scored so few points.

Well, Campbell's sack rate was higher than average no matter how many people were rushing him. Here are his sack totals and percentages as split by the number of defenders that were rushing the quarterback:

3 rushers: 1 sack /31 attempts (3.3%, league average 3.3%)
4: 23/333 (6.9%, league average 5.3%)
5: 11/140 (7.9%, league average 7.5%)
6: 3/30 (10%, league average 7.5%)
7: 0/5 (0%, league average 9.5%)

There's no easy answer to give here like, say, "Campbell can't handle a blitz of six men or more". Quarterbacks tend to play slightly worse when you blitz them more, but they're usually in worse situations, too.

Hogs Haven: Zorn added 80+ passing plays to the offense now that he's in year two with Campbell. What are the stats for coaches that go into year two of a system? (Hasselbeck's numbers jumped high his 2nd year under Zorn).

Our projection system provides a very slight bump for teams that retain their offensive coordinator (or their defensive coordinator) for multiple seasons up to a certain point, as we've found that teams that retain their coordinators do tend to see a slight improvement over similar franchises that don't.

There's nothing in those numbers, though, that indicates that Campbell should take a mighty leap forward. We like Jason Campbell; Dave Lewin's Lewin Career Forecast, which predicts the NFL performance of college QB's, had very nice things to say about Campbell coming out of Auburn. So maybe he'll take a step forward, and Zorn will help. But it won't be the dominant factor.

One thing that we can say pretty much for sure; Campbell's going to throw more interceptions. He threw picks on 1.2% of his passes last year, a remarkably low figure and one that almost always -- as in, say, 39 times out of 40 -- regresses back up closer to 3% or so. Last year's example was David Garrard, who was at a ridiculous 0.9% in 2007; he threw 13 picks last year at a rate of 2.4%.

Hogs Haven: What predictions can you make for the O-line with the addition of former Redskin Derrick Dockery (who was successful in this system before), and the replacement of Stephon Heyer, who is younger and stronger than Jon Jansen?

I always love these sort of questions because fans will always bring up the hopeful adjectives about players. That's not a criticism, just an observation. The flip side is that you could say that Dockery was such a disappointment that he washed out of Buffalo after two years, and Heyer's failed to take the job by the horns, is inexperienced, and gets banged up too easily. That's not a fair analysis, but it's just the counterbalance to only noticing the happy things.

The biggest factor that we've noticed about offensive lines is that continuity helps a lot more than people think. Talent's great, but when you're barking out the signals and someone's not paying attention, talent isn't worth much. A blown assignment in the running game leads to second-and-long, a blown block leads to a sack that blows out Jason Campbell's knee ... it only takes one mistake, and offensive lines that are new with each other tend to make them.

Obviously, Heyer's played a fair amount with the team, and Dockery was playing with Chris Samuels a couple of years ago. So that helps. I'd expect a few hiccups, but in the long run, it's more about keeping the five starters healthy than anything else. If they're healthy, the line will play well. If not, well, there will be trouble.

Hogs Haven: What turnover ration can Redskins fans expect with the addition of Haynesworth and Orakpo...since QBs will be forced to throw the ball quicker? (Orakpo has been very impressive in camp, drawing heavy praise from Chris Samuels and London Fletcher).

Yeah; again, plenty of guys get praised in camp, but that doesn't mean bupkus once you get on the field. I like Orakpo as a player, personally, but pass rushers rarely -- really rarely -- make an impact as a rookie. Think about Mario Williams, Patrick Kerney, Michael Strahan -- elite 4-3 pass rushers off the edge. (If he actually does end up playing strong side linebacker, well, he's even less likely to have an impact; the list of 4-3 linebackers with huge sack totals is extremely slim.) As for Haynesworth? There's no consistent trend where we see teams adding an elite pass rusher and seeing their interception or turnover totals go up. Anecdotally, I agree with you that the concept makes sense. But I can't sit here and truthfully tell you that "Interceptions will increase by 10 percent!" because we haven't seen it in the numbers.

Hogs Haven: Do you have percentages and comments on these stats?

- % of passing plays last year that were 5 yards and under (felt like 4/5 passes were under 5 yards...even on 3rd and long)
- % of 3 and outs and how that ranked with the rest of the league.
- % of run plays left, right, middle (I would imagine majority were runs left)

I don't have the numbers on third-and-outs, but I can answer the other two:

- Washington was third in the league in passes of five yards or less, at 51.7 percent. Only Tampa Bay and Indianapolis were higher.

- 38% of Washington's carries were to left end or left tackle; 30% were to right end or right tackle, with the remaining 32% being either up the middle or at either guard spot.

Hogs Haven: Without giving away the work you put into the book, can you give us your thoughts and expectations for the 2009 Redskins? What is your "best case" situation. Skins are optimistic the WRs from last year will contribute at a high level (Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis). All of them have looked exceptional at camp.

I think those receivers definitely have to play better, I think that's a key. I'd hope that they're optimistic, though; it would be worse if the Skins weren't!

We project the Redskins to win 7.8 games this year, with a 30% chance of winning 9-10 games and an 11% chance of winning 11+ games. Obviously, they play in an extremely tough division. In the NFC East, the balance of power could be shifted by one key injury (think Tony Romo's broken finger last year) or even a close win -- remember, the 2007 Giants beat the Eagles in a game where David Akers missed a game-tying field goal by a few inches. If the Eagles won that game in OT, the Giants wouldn't have made the playoffs.

Truthfully, you could tell me anything from 5-11 to 11-5 and I wouldn't be surprised. A lot could go right with this team, and a lot could go wrong.

There is a lot to be said here. The key point Football Outsiders mentioned is that offensive line success is based on continuity. The Redskins cut 2 of their original starters from last year (Jansen, Kendall) and added multiple jouneymen, two of which have been out of the league for 1+ years (Mike Williams and Jeremy Bridges). From what the statistics show and what I've seen so far in camp, it's going to be another see-saw year. I hate to say a month before the season starts that the Redskins success depends on EVERYONE staying healthy, but so it is.

August 1: Our Recap from Training Camp

KevinE — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:30:23 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

4 months ago: Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, right, looks on as quarterback Jason Campbell throws a pass during NFL football training camp at Redskins Park on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009 in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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I made it over to a sweltering Redskins Park today to catch day three of Redskins practice. They were in pads and were tackling at times. Joe Jacoby and Joe Theismann were on-hand as well.

Did not practice: Carlos Rogers (soreness) and FB Eddie Williams (hamstring injury)

Here's my notes:

- Rookie mistakes stood out.
Marko Mitchell dropped an easy ball. Anthony Alridge also dropped an easy pass and fumbled on a hand-off exchange. On the 1-1 drills Kevin Barnes and Doug Dutch got worked over.

- Devin Thomas did not drop a ball all day.

- Santana Moss looks like he is in mid-season form.
(Made a diving catch in the center of the end zone)

The QBs were the only unit that were front and center the entire practice for the crowd. It is crystal clear that Campbell is the best Quarterback of the four out there. And this is not me saying this is a fan or personal preference...it's just a fact after watching them all throw.

- Jason Campbell looked good
(Had a lot of zip on the ball, but had a couple of bad tosses and a couple plays where he held the ball too long. He had a gorgeous 30-yard pass to Todd Yoder, threading the ball through a lunging Laron Landry)

- Todd Collins did not look good today.
(Overthrows and didn't see a blitzer on another play)

- Colt Brennan was up and down
(Had some nice throws but missed fired on a cross pattern to Moss and held the ball too long on other plays)

Offense spent 15 minutes doing red zone drills. One of which was a corner slant to Malcolm Kelly who was 1-1 with Fred Smoot. Campbell threw a perfect ball, which Kelly went up for but Smoot made an incredible play to break it up. Too bad I didn't hear the audio afterwards on that.

- Chris Horton made an incredible play to break up a pass to Santana.

- Albert Fincher was all over the field. Made multiple plays.

- Keith Eloi and Malcom Kelly both had spectacular catches

As for the lines:

One one play, Renaldo Wynn absolutely barrelled over Mike Williams putting him on his back. The next play Wynn tried a speed move around and Williams had excellent footwork to keep him outside the pocket. So, it's clear Mike is still has a lot of catchup to do regarding the physical part of the game. It was quite impressive however on a running play for Marcus Mason, Mike Williams pushed left and created a running lane the size of I-95.

Haynesworth wasn't in on that play. Speaking of Haynesworth, he was getting double-teamed all the times I saw. He was giving Derrick Dockery fits today.

Chris Wilson stood out multiple times playing left end. His first step off the line ia a blur. He got to the QB real quick.

Orakpo played a few snaps with his hands on the dirt. One play was a run right at him and he bear-hugged the RB immediately. No gain.

Coach Thrash helping in QB drills
via photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net

Here's the link to Redskins.com practice notes and quotes:

"The defensive line is wreaking havoc in our backfield right now. We have to block these guys. I'm excited on one hand, and then on the other I want to get going, too." - Coach Zorn

Zorn called the offensive line a "work in progress."

"I've seen some things I've wanted to see, but we're not done yet," he said. "Our guys are working hard and they're going to get better."

He said that while Stephon Heyer is working with the first team offensive line, he has not yet secured the starting job. He won't determine that until after preseason games.

The only real downer of the day is that a bottled water cost $4. In that heat, water is imperative and I was none too happy at those kind of prices. The burgers ($6) and bag of chips ($2) seemed fair, but for $4 a bottled water, I'd almost rather pass out and let the EMS hydrate me for free. There was a single, misting fan available but there was an army of kids hogging enjoying that.

Redskins' Offensive Line Not Impressing Out of the Gates

KevinE — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:42:20 -0000

via redskinsblog

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Here is a summary of all the reports from the reporters/bloggers that were at camp yesterday. I will be attending camp on Tuesday and possibly tomorrow (Saturday), so I should be able to add some concrete insight as well. Obviously things will not be perfect on day one.

From the warpathconfidential:

Stephon Heyer was badly beaten by rookie Jeremy Jarmon on one snap and had to resort to grabbing Jarmon's jersey to prevent a complete whiff on the block. Nor was it limited to the tackles, with Albert Haynesworth displaying deceptive quickness against Derrick Dockery in getting penetration on a few plays.

At one point the line had back-to-back false starts.

Probably the most spectacular play of this drill was a double-move by Malcolm Kelly on Justin Tryon. Kelly was running a crossing pattern when he cut once towards the post, and then cut again to run towards the middle, leaving Tryon 10-15 yards out of position. Kelly caught the pass all alone in the middle of the field.

From the Redskins Insider:

[Mike Williams and Jeremy Bridges] encountered problems against ends Renaldo Wynn and Rob Jackson, but Coach Jim Zorn said he was not discouraged. The Skins have a long way to go before things need to be set along the offensive line, and Zorn preaches patience.

"It's hard to block that second move" of the ends, Zorn said. "You think you got 'em, then you start to punch, and then the guy comes back underneath. That's what we're working on. That's why we're out here. There's a lot of practice time that has to take place before these guys can get enough experiences to feel like we can block all the moves that our defense is going to show us."

"There's going to be a learning curve," Zorn said. "It's going to take some time, [but] he's got a great attitude for it."

As for Bridges, "we're looking for a guy who can play multiple positions," Zorn said. "I'm looking for him to keep going. He wants to earn a starting spot. So, playing him in different spots, we're going to find that right spot for him. And whether he starts or becomes a swing guy, that's down the road a ways."

It's only day one, so obviously there's no need to throw up the red flags. However, it takes some kool-aid drinking and a few prayers to assume that offensive linemen that have been out of the league a couple years can contribute at a high-level when pre-season begins in 2 weeks. Can they be ready in a month? Time will tell, but they are practicing against one of the best DL's in the league. That certainly counts for something.