In every game he's one of the players that I constantly notice but don't hear about.

When he crashed into Ryan I assumed it was Landry because of how fast he was moving. My muttered praise for finally using him as a blitzer was stiffled when I found out it was Alexander. The penalty was absolutely bogus, and the look on Ryan's face was nothing short of haunted at that point (rightly so. He was getting pummeled. Not as bad as JC, but he was getting abused back there pretty violently and he didn't look very happy about it).

Then he had that huge hit on special teams. It was another one of those things that went unmentioned, but he constantly seems to be the first to actually tackle the ballcarrier on special teams coverage, and he's a 280 lb DE.

He isn't going to score us many points (unless it's at TE, which isn't out of the question), but he's looking like he may develop into a special player as he matures.

of how sad the state of the team is.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/redskins_hold_press

What really gets me is that the story actually was pretty spot on in terms of how I felt after Sunday, sans the knock against the defense, which is playing well despite it's malign-ment by the media. It is decidedly not good when a mock media outlet resorts to the truth in order to generate "front page" headlines about one's sports team.

And as an additional point of confusion and ranting: Why hasn't anyone lambasted Sherm Lewis for agreeing to this idiot idea yet? If I were in his position I'd be trying to bury my head in sand like an ostrich or run back to the bingo range, since pretty much every one can tell that he will be burnt at the stake right after Zorn is buried up to his neck kiddy corner to a hill of recently rousted fire ants. He was the only one who could have put a stop to the snyderatto in this situation, and he has failed in that regard. So much for just another set of eyes...

My bet is that the Skins' end up loosing the game because of delay of game penalties.

I’ve been trying to think of something constructive to add after Monday’s excursion into disaster. The outcome has been varied. Ultimately my thoughts came to rest on the receivers. Cooley had eight catches, which amazes me since I felt like he was invisible most of the game. Portis had seven. Randel El and Thomas had three catches each. Moss had two. None of our actual receivers got more than 25 yards in the game.

Campbell’s pocket was porous, no doubt. But he broke free and had quite a lot of rollouts. When the QB rolls out after the pocket collapses, it usually hearlads the big play. Instead of striking deep though, Campbell was constantly throwing underneath. Because I was watching on the boob tube I didn’t get views of the secondary, but I got the impression that Campbell was going underneath because his deeper receivers were blanketed. This wasn’t once or twice, or just on the rollout plays, but happened all night long without a letup.

It harkened me back to the beginning of last year, when our receiver corps contained a gimpy Moss, a gimpy El, James Thrash and a slew of other guys who weren’t on the team for training camp that year, and who aren’t on the team now. During this time, Campbell played with mediocrity, used Cooley more as a wheelchair than crutch, and continually finished out games forcing throws to the other team's secondary. When our receivers finally got healthy last year (which incidentally coincided with Campbell’s kneecap relocation and TC's masterful assertion that 10 years of benchtime does not necessarily make one rusty) we looked a lot like the ‘Skins did in the first half of this season (no INTs, excellent intermediate passing decisions opening up the balanced attack, O-line domination in the run game, winning etc...).

My constructive moment is one of Homeric hope, looks towards the future, and takes the form of Thomas and Kelly. Zorn got the shaft in terms of rookie performance on his picks. Thomas is too raw and needed the next year of big league college ball. From all reports Kelly has the skill and talent right now, he just doesn’t have a healthy knee. Both problems were noted before the draft, and the Skins went with them anyway. Some may say that this was stupid, shortsighted and ignored more glaring holes in the team, like the ever popular pass rushing end. I beg to differ.

Our D-line is playing very, very well. Lack of sacks be damned, the “mush rush” is working to hurry the QB and the lateral run D is stunning. Golston, Griffin and Montegomery are playing excellently. Demetric Evans shouldn’t worry about becoming a used car salesmen until a few years from now, and is proving that the second round pick for Taylor wasn’t necessary.

I’m happier with the thought of an improved passing game with physical, big, talented receivers than I am of another stud d-lineman coming into next year. Assuming there isn’t a huge dropoff in the D-line’s performance (which is unlikely since it’s a rare spot of youth, with Golston, Montey, Alexander, Wilson, Evans, Carter, and Jackson all under 30), the real holes next year will be at O-line, linebacker and corner (for depth and youth, not for lack of starting skill). Notice that receiver, isn’t likely to be on the list, and would have topped it in bold writing had Zorn not drafted like he did. Assuming that Kelly and Thomas continue to heal/mature respectively, we should be seeing more of TD’s and less field goals from our O in the years to come.

Back to present reality though, Moss better get healthy and stay that way. He is the cornerstone of the Redskins' passing game, and without him the team is bringing knives to gunfights when playing tougher defenses. El and Co. (oh wait, I mean El and Thrash) can hold up against the weaker teams, but when push comes to shove, Moss opens the field up for everyone, not just himself. Until the rookie receivers mature I’m going to sacrifice lots of chickens to the pagan gods of football. Anything to keep Moss’ legs healthy and let them heal speedily. Any playoff run is going to have to feature Moss heavily, and he's only as fast as his hamstrings are healthy.

Alohas all!

I'm one of the new front page posters that SP has been organizing. I'll try to post my kneejerk thoughts on the game right after it's done. At the very least it will help validate my purchase of the NFL ticket, but I'm hoping it may be interesting to our faithful readership. Let me know how you like it in the comments. If it's lame, I'll stop. I just saw mmmford already posted his thoughts. I haven't read them and warn that mine may be redundant.

For a long time I've seen the Skins play down to the level of their opponent. For the last three weeks the Skins' opponents seem to have been playing up to the bar the Skins set, and this game was a prime example. The Lions played this game with some fire. I did not feel like the close nature of the game was reflective of the Skins' poor play, rather I attribute it to the intensity with which the Lions played.

Player Notes:

Mike Green brings a load at SS. He made some mistakes, but his hitting and ability to stone blockers will be an asset as he gets more comfortable in this defense. I like him at the vaunted "cobra" position when Horton heals. It's likely his role will be similar to that of Godfry's from last year. He's an old, salty vet who knows his stuff and plays physically.

Moss has superhuman speed. I was against him returning kicks because of the potential for injury, but he can change games as a returner, and I'm on board now. He won this game.

Campbell is very careful this year. His accuracy is a testament to his decision making, and he showed it today. There were only a few plays were the defender had a chance to get the ball.

Not having Samuels highlighted his importance to this team. The ground attack wasn't nearly as consistent as it was the past few week. Portis got his yards, but most of them came from longer runs. I saw lots of stops for no gain, which helps explain the lack of third down production.

Jansen was underwhelming in this game, drawing a number of penalties and getting burnt a few times. To his credit, the key third down facemask was a classic "phantom call" and he did anchor the running game in Samuels' absence. Having Samuels on the left looks like it takes a lot of pressure off of the right side.

Coaching:

What was up between Portis and Zorny? Fortunately they got it worked out down the line, but it really took the emotion out of the team. I could tell because it took some emotion out of me, and I'm thousands of miles across an ocean. The announcers made it seem like Portis wasn't happy about being out for a full series. I kind of agree, since it was an important series (aren't they all?) and Alexander was in for three downs without much effect. Zorn better be careful of managing his running backs. Alexander has been nothing but classy and his running has been acceptable, but I'm looking forward to the steadying presence Betts has on this offense.

Zorn's commitment to a balanced attack was stoic. Talk about keeping medium. Campbell was extremely accurate throughout the game and Santana was on fire, the run game was stale during the 2nd/3rd quarter and yet we still saw an even run/pass ratio. Zorn did not bite, and by the 4th the o line had the d line on their heels, and most of the quarter manifested itself in handoffs to Portis for solid, consistent gains. That was ball control football and was a product of Zorn's commitment to grinding the d down from the beginning of the game.

Injuries:

I really feel for the Lions. For a while it seemed like they had an injury every few plays. The one where the fullback and lineman came off at the same time was an especially sad sight. Good luck to the two who were carted off with knee injuries.

While there weren't any major new injuries for the Redskins, they are banged up in a lot of critical places. This team needs rest. The extra day this week is a good thing, especially since the following short week is nullified with the bye.

HTTR!

1) Greg Blache's coaching. I was a bit nervous that he wouldn't be able to keep up the performance that Williams coaxed out of the players. I was wrong. The D has been playing well and with fire. Individual complaints could be made, but overall to this point there hasn't been a real drop in performance. I can't attribute it to Blache himself, but all of a sudden Redskins defensive players have caught some INTs, which was a big downfall of the Williams era (sans #21, who bucked that trend). Blache's halftime adjustments are what really convinced me so far; especially in NY.

2) Last year's Rookies and first year starters: It looks like Leigh Torrence is here to stay. His performances are solid, and it seems like he's flying around out there. Undrafted to nickel corner in a year isn't too shabby. In fact, it could be termed a meteoric rise, if a somewhat obscure one. Reed is another bright spot, even if he gets benched in favor of Horton sometime in the future. Having him at backup/3 safety formations is a good thing. HB looked solid even with his recuperating knee. I had doubts as to his ability to hack it at starting outside linebacker (mainly my fear was coverage), but he proved himself against the saints. Heyer has looked solid in pass coverage. Kudos to him for beating out incumbent Jansen. Consequences aside, if you're going to get a penalty, do it like Heyer did it, blow the guy up. It also bodes well for the development of his attitude in the run game.

3) Kedric Golston: I'm a big Montegomery fan and have to admit that I havn't seen enough of Golston to be personally convinced, but by beating out Montegomery for the starting spot he's made it clear that he's a player. Eventually Mr. Griffen is going to be run down by the fleet footed juggernaut Mr. Age, and when that happens, us skins fans needent worry too much because the Barbarian can play.

4) Shawn Springs: played incredibly well last year. He looks like he's even better so far. His presence alone changes the way offenses treat this team. Thank the powers that be he wasn't released, hasn't retired and his contract hasn't been an issue. May he stay healthy.

5) The drafting of Durant Brooks: I'm going out on a limb here. He's been spotty in holding etc etc.... But his punts seem to mask the coverage team just right, resulting in punts that should be fair caught but aren't. We havn't seen the inevitable devestating hit-fumble-TD that those punts generate, but my instincts tell me one isn't far off. Especially with Rock and Sellars being 1 and 2 to the ball so often. Brooks needs to add some weight and grow a mustache, but I'm hopeful that his addition will be a good longterm decision.

I'm omitting our Head Coach's performance. I am indeed pleasantly surprised by it so far, but will reserve any outward show of my excitement until after Philly. I'm not certain that my ebullient feelings won't be quashed dead by our division rivals' media driven Football-God(s) image being not so untrue.

Sorry to clog the blog (rhyming is fun) with Colt stuff, but since I've adopted him I at least have some basis for inflicting my opinion upon your illustrious selves.

I've watched Colt's highlight reels a few times and I come away with two reactions.

First, when he plays he looks just like he did in college (which is freaking stupendous, since he was a jolly green giant amongst mere mortals). I hate to point it out since it was preseason etc.... etc... , but if you extend his stats into three quarters of play, which is how long he usually stayed in games for, they equate almost exactly with his average college performance (27 for 30, 360 yards and 6 tds; a bit high in completion percentage and TDs, but otherwise on the mark). If he continues on this path, we are in for happy days as skins fans.

Second, is the "it" factor. People are (now) saying that Colt just has that intangible "it" thing  (que John Maddens ability to feel Colt's "energy" from the booth). After pondering the weirdness of the existential "it" that the lucky few have, I came to the realization that the ball Colt forced was the perfect example of the "it". Someone without that "it" thang would have made that throw and been intercepted, and then been ripped a new one for it. Somehow it just works out for some people, and that's where Colt seems to shine. Ugly, wacky throw technique? It works. Made a risky decision? It worked. Get smoked in the Sugar Bowl and have your stock drop from near the top to near the bottom? end up with Zorny as your coach (at least it looks like it's working).

However Colt's career plays out, just having a guy like that around can really help, especially on a team that lost most of its games by less than seven (7) points last year. Good luck rubs off, and Colt seems to have the juice in that department. Even if he's on the bench, his "it" will help the team for sure.

[Note by Skin Patrol, 07/12/08 9:15 AM EDT ] More signings and more thanks to Ach for getting the story up. Edited slightly, and tags added.

More good news: Kelly signed. So did our big-legged punter, Mr. Brooks. It helps explain why the sudden tripartite release after the Rinehart signing. I also heard a rumor that Brennan was just medically cleared to practice. Derek Devine is the other hopeful for the 3rd quarterback spot; he was on the practice squad (I think) at Seattle last year.

Malcom Kelly per Redskins.com:

The Washington Redskins today announced that they have agreed to terms with second-round selection Malcolm Kelly, the 51st overall selection in the 2008 National Football League Draft. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Durant Brooks per Redskins.com:

The Washington Redskins today announced that they have agreed to terms with sixth-round pick Durant Brooks. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Brooks, the only punter selected in the 2008 NFL Draft and the 168th overall selection, is the sixth of the Redskins' 10 draft choices to sign or agree to terms.

I've read enough material on PD to make some comments, which may even be intelligent (or at the very least I hope it's intelligible).

First, the criticism. He's old. He's slow. He only got two sacks last year. He's got bad wrists and ankles. His numbers have been dropping steadily. He's old.

Second, the praise. He's strong as all hell (Baby-Hippo-Lifting Strong) and can use that strength to move inside on passing downs. He is as crafty a veteran D-end as there is. He stuffs the run. He just won a powerlifting competition and is lighter, stronger and faster (self-proclaimed) than he was last year. He's been healthy all offseason.

Third, my intelligent/ible commentary.

PD isn't going to win sack competitions or give Tom Brady that scared, "I'm getting blown apart and I forgot how it feels" look. However, he will keep containment and shut down the run on his side. In the Detroit game last season there was a point where he bounced a run out of bounds while surrounded by three offensive players (those with excellent memories may even remember that some foo of a talking head said that the skins had the best D-line in the league after that game). It was a savvy and skillful move, and was a great display of what PD does best.

Stats are the nuts and bolts of football analysis, and It's always distressing when your middle aged players turn the corner and no longer put up great numbers. But on the D-line tackles, sacks, hurries and swats don't tell the whole story. Run yardage is another indicator of how well the D-line is doing. The Skins were pretty stingy last season against the run (shutting the door on both the girls and the vikings at the end), and I feel that was due in large part to PD. O linemen who want to run block against PD are forced to deal with his baby-hippo-lifting strength, and tend to get worn down sooner than they do against edge rushers and ends who make their money through finesse. By the fourth quarter LTs become exhausted and their run game ends up wasting comeback time and first down potential, ala the vikings.

Another indicator of D-line performance is how well the LBs are doing. I've read that our LB corps over performed and masked deficiencies in our D-line last year. Indeed, our LB corps is amazing  (at least when healthy, I have doubts in the Hamburgular starting in at ROLB), but its excellence was also the result of our D-line sucking up all the blockers and forcing one on ones between the LB and the RB. I know Rocky is a bad ass, but his remarkable numbers last year must have been helped out by PD's ability to flow with the play and prevent linemen and fullbacks from entering the second level. This is evidenced by the fact that there wasn't really a hiccup when Godfry took over for Rocky. Godfry is a solid player, but athletically Rocky is superior. The smoothness of Godfry's transition has to be partially attributable to the end he was lining up behind.

My analysis is that PD is going to have a solid year. If he is in fact quicker and stronger than in times past, we should see more sacks and hurries  from him. Regardless of his numbers though, his presence on the line is stabilizing and will help to keep opponents' rushing attack in check.

Having said all that, I'm not sold on PD being around much after next year. He faces the same problems that Renaldo Wynn did (a relatively hefty price tag for adequate but declining ability). Basically he's old and there is really no way around that. Father time will take his toll. But I expect PD to knock some heads around this season, or at least to occupy some O linemen and let our LBs knock some heads around.

So as to engender some discussion and so as to cast doubt on my statement regarding the unimportance of individual stats for D-linemen, I wanted to mention Chris Wilson. I believe that Wilson started four games last season in which he recorded 11 tackles and 4 sacks. Andre Carter started four times as many games (16) and got 43 tackes and 10.5 sacks. If you do the math, (4 x11=44; 4x4=16) Wilson's performance, projected over a full season of starts, equates to that of Carter, save with a greater sack ratio (especially considering the two he got in the playoffs which weren't counted). While it's true that  Wilson played alot more downs than four starts would account for (which dilutes the comparison considerably), he is comparable to Carter mathematically. I'm not saying that Wilson will be PD's replacement or Carter's mirror image, but it's safe to say he is an underrated D-end and a potential sleeper on our roster. If it's between Wilson and Evans, I take the younger Wilson in a heartbeat, even at a skinny 240. It also provides a bit of comfort in the event that Carter or PD goes down and Earsmus is still gimpy.

I figured I'd add my two cents on the most dramatic action this offseason, the pick of Fred Davis and his subsequent slumber.

Burning a second round pick so we can have two pass catching tight ends, neither of whom are the Lorenzo Alexander of blockers, on one team?

    At first blush this pick seemed to be over the top. Why get another tight end who is projected to be just like our hero, Cap'n Chaos, especially when faced with a dearth of youth at DE/OL? Aside from the fact that he was the best athlete on the board at the time, it's likely that he will be our only rookie that makes an immediate impact this year. Thomas and Kelly may be great football players, but are likely to be effective only after a season or two of fine tuning, or in the unwelcome event that one of our main WRs goes down and one of the rooks successfully steps up.

    On the other hand, Fred Davis was already practicing and making impressive plays with the first team. His presence allows greater QB protection by providing us with a tight end threat while keeping Cooley in to pass block (assuming Davis fails to become the blocking beast that he is destined to become). It also allows the skins to move Cooley out into the slot while keeping safeties in to block Fred, which could be invaluable in spreading out the run game and letting Portis use his speed to break into the second level (I like the idea of running off tackle plays with Cooley lining up in the slot). Two vertical threats at TE means that teams with a traditional run stuffing strong safety are going to be exposed. Think of Dallas and Roy Williams getting burned over and again. Its also frees up Cooley in the endzone by providing another redzone threat. Lastly, if Cooley goes down and there is no Fred Davis, we would be left with Yoder and the ever injured Ecker. With Fred, there should be much less of a hiccup should CC go down.

    Basically we could have drafted a good project at D line who would be a convincing backup for years to come, or Fred, who gives us yet another unique and I daresay dynamic threat on offense (and an immediate one, something we lack with our other draft picks). His positives will be synergetically better on this team than his skills would indicate, and his value will be increased rather than decreased by his juxtaposition to CC. As much as I'd love to have plugged some holes at DL and OL, I can't complain about taking Fred in the second, unless he misses practice for beauty sleep again.

Anyone think I'm crazy? Anyone else impressed at my use of the terms synergy and juxtapose in the same sentence?

What to think about the guy? Overachiever who doesn't have the right combo of speed and suicidal tendencies necessary for safety? Or underrated workhorse who won't quit and who'll put his balls on the line every time?

In Doughty's first real debut, TO torched him in primetime. I still remember the image of Doughty in the right place, but without the skills needed to swat the ball away.  After that game, GW switched to what I believe is a Tampa D, with LaRon super deep and Doughty playing in front of him, both in the center of the field. While I'm not exactly a guru in regards to defensive theory, I get the feeling that this was a stopgap measure, because Reed's coverage skills weren't up to snuff, and because LaRon can run faster than a football can be thrown. The end results were satisfying. Reed didn't exactly crush ballcarriers, but he was stout in his 45ish tackles through half a season. However, there is something in me that gets nervous when we only have one deep safety covering all of the field, even if he is a Jolly Green Giant amidst Liliputians.

Cooley says (I could find the reference, but I'm lazy. Look for it on his blog) that Reed is one of the players to watch out for this  year. I'd hate to drop another first day pick on a safety, especially when Reed played so well through last season. But the cost was committing to what I've (probably incorrectly) called a Tampa D. Blache may not have the same "crazy scientist" character that GW is credited as having, and that D has some inherent weaknesses against deep balls. If Doughty's pass coverage improves, his stock will rise. But he still doesn't have that prototypical speed and impact that the elite possess. What's your thoughts? Should we have faith in Doughty? or should we maneuver our roster/draft to get a sure thing in our second safety?