We're coming up to Mike Shanahan's second draft with the Redskins, and most of us are waiting with bated breath to see if he can set our franchise in the right direction. Is it just me, or is Vinny Cerrato basically our Dick Cheney? Back to Shanahan: he had some very impressive drafts right before leaving Denver, but the jury is still out on last year's picks (not counting McNabb, Jarmon, or Brown - I mean college player evaluation). Trent Williams is the obvious bright spot, playing most of the season against elite level rushers. He had flashes of awesomeness, but also showed his freshness at times. Regardless, most fans would agree that he is a quality addition to our team.

But he hasn't always been the fan favorite. If you remember a little over a year ago, he wasn't "projected" to go #4 in the draft to the Redskins. He was widely believed to be the 2nd best tackle after Russell Okung. Hogs Haven was littered with mock drafts and prayer letters for Shanahan to draft Russell Okung and save our decade-long lineman drought.

One man didn't see the title "Top Rated" as an end-all in draft evaluation. If you don't know him, Mike Mayock is the only analyst you should consider listening to about draft evaluations. He rated Okung higher than Williams, but emphasized that Williams was a close second. He even went so far as to say that Washington, if given the chance, would likely take Williams over Okung, because of his potential in Mike Shanahan's unique zone-blocking scheme. Fans and bloggers heard Mayock said this, but most were still shocked when Washington took the tackle at #4 (partly because we forgot what drafting a lineman in the 1st felt like).

Well Mike Mayock has another message for Mike Shanahan: draft Jake Locker with the #10 overall pick. He fits your unique scheme. He will watch more film than anybody. Elway agrees with his own subtle hints. Maybe last year was a coincidence, and Shanahan took no stock in what Mayock had to say. Chances are, they are just two very intelligent people who came to the same deduction on player evaluation. But regardless of whether Mike Shanahan is listening, Mike Mayock is definitely sending out the message. Hard. Listen to what he has to say about the QB draft prospects in this new NFL.com video. He is more open and honest than I normally hear analysts, especially saying an almost outright "no" to Cam Newton. For Redskins though, the message comes through loud and clear. Watch from 2:00 on - Dear Mike Shanahan, draft Jake Locker at #10.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/09000d5d81f7893d/Mayock-evaluates-the-2011-QB-class

via www.post-gazette.com

Another late-round gem for your consideration:

Henry Hynoski, FB, Pitt

6'1, 260 lbs, 5.09 40 yard dash time at combine (but suffered hamstring injury)

Pros:

• Best lead blocker in the draft - a roadgrader in mold of Lorenzo Neal
• Described as a "throwback" by running backs coach David Walker, Hynoski embodies all the classic fullback traits

             o   Does the dirty work

             o   Strong lead blocker who hits hard

             o   Intelligent at picking up blitzes

             o   Displays good hands out of the backfield (40 catches for 283 yards over past two seasons).

• Can contribute on special teams
• Often used as motion tight-end and H-back
• Intelligent and hard working – twice named to Big East All-Academic team.
• Pedigree - Father was a star FB at Temple (1972-1974) and played 1975 season with the Cleveland Browns (career ended on injuries)
• Prolific High-School running back - 7,165 yards and 113 touchdowns and AP Pennsylvania Class A Player of the year.
• Mike Mayock’s #2 ranked FB. "You want to talk about a guy who did everything at Pitt.... The offense went through him at Pittsburgh"
• Is an underclassman (22 years old).

Cons:

• Limited carries at Pitt (36 carries over past 2 years)
• Does not have breakaway speed
• Inconsistent knee-bending while taking on LBs and picking up blitzes
• Suffered mild concussion in October 2010
• Suffered mild Achilles injury at Scouting Combine - could not participate at Pitt Pro Day. Has not set up a new time.

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So it's been a pretty exciting Monday for Redskins fans, with a large extension being announced for McNabb (MNF having not been played at the time of writing this). I had two initial reactions after hearing about the details: 1) That's a lot of money; 2) Good time to release the information. 

The first thought comes rather obviously after seeing $88 million on a paycheck. Donovan's worthiness of such a salary is an endless debate and can be argued between BGN and HH fanboys in the comment section. My opinion is that the Redskins front office has shown clever contract construction over the Snyd-era and intelligent negotiations over the Sh-Allen-ahanera (I tried), so they'll make it work. Regardless of opinion, it's not the importance of the deal.

The second thought is also pretty obvious to anyone likely reading this now. Media speculation has been salivating at the thought that Shanahan and McNabb are having pissing contests on the sidelines (Florio's wet dream). To save possible lockerroom fallout on a big monday night divisional showdown, they sign a contract that has been negotiated over several months (Apologies: PFT link).  We'll see how the possible timing plays out in a few hours, but their intentions are clear.

A delayed third thought is more important though: This means Shanahan has faith in Donovan McNabb. Shanahan commits his life to football and preparing schemes to suit the strengths of his players (Read his book). 90 to 100 hours a week. The signing of a 5 year extension (as oppose to a shorter extension or none at all) shows Shanahan's confidence in McNabb's abilities. Abilities that could feel familiar to back in Denver, and that he will definitely work relentlessly to maximize over the next few years.  A source of mine tells me that the recent work out of Jamarcus Russell was to see if he would fit well into a similar scheme as the one Shanahan is building around McNabb.

The benching last week further shows the strength of their relationship. On the previous play, McNabb threw an interception into triple coverage. This is the absolute last thing to do with 4 minutes left when you're up by 5. Shanahan knows it, McNabb knows it. So Shanahan tells him to 'smarten the f**k up' with a metaphorical slap on the nose (In this metaphor I'm hitting my dog, not my girlfriend). An alpha male like Donovan takes a benching to heart and will hopefully learn it (then we can move on to catching a frisbee in his mouth).

Coles Notes: If you buy into the Shana-plan (which you should if you've read this far), this contract extension should be giving you an extra shot in your kool-aid for tonight, and the next few years.

Okay, so enough with the McNabb talks for a bit. Time to look at a promising prospect who could really help the Redskins franchise on a number of levels - Ed Wang - OT from VT.

He's been featured in one or two articles already as a mid-round talent that could help our 'weakest link'. It's unanimous that our offensive line could use as many positive additions as possible. And with the recent McNabb trade, it is looking much more plausible that the Redskins decide to go with an offensive tackle at #4 in the upcoming draft. Okung is the favorite, Trent Williams is consolation. Okung would move into our line as an immediate starter at left tackle. Next to him is a solid starter in Derrick Dockery. In the middle is another solid starter in Casey Rabach. There's a crowd of available right guards to choose from in Rinehart, Big Mike Williams, Artis Hicks, and Stephon Heyer. Finally, there is a big hole at right tackle where Levi Jones is expected to start, though not exactly the ideal plug.

Insert Wang.

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How much does Mike Shanahan like Sam Bradford? For him, it may be worth trading up to the first overall pick. This might not be as 'painful' as you think, considering the circumstances:

Jim Haslett obviously still has strong connections with the St. Louis organization having just worked there.

Now we've heard 'rumors' that the Redskins has been in trade talks with St. Louis regarding Adam Carriker, an obvious fit at 34DE (not 43DT).

Feeling out of place too, Andre Carter would be an obvious upgrade to the St. Louis offensive line now that Chris Long  has been playing more DT (Little's on the other end). 

I'm not sure he's "disgruntled", but All-Pro Free Safety OJ Atogwe has been tendered at the lowest possible tender. The "right to first refusal" tender means no compensatory pick are required. An intelligent, center-fielder ballhawk would be a welcomed addition to our secondary (Make it pretty perfect, IMO). I'm not sure how they can work his rights into a trade, but I'm sure there are lawyers out there who can.

The Rams are pretty much QB-less. Needless to say, they'd like to change that before the season starts. A matured and experienced signal caller may be a better fit that a wet-eared rookie. We have Jason Campbell, who would appreciate a team that has a star running back and recent additions to bolster their offensive line. There were rumors that St. Louis was looking at Donovan McNabb earlier this off-season. Obvious ethnic similarities aside, I think Jason and Donovan have very similar skill-sets.

Also from the rumor mill; Alex Barron was benched last year and is said to be on the trading block. He has all the physical tools at 6'7 300lbs, maybe he just needs a change of scenery? Last time I checked, our offensive line still needed a tackle (or two. or three).

Now it's possible that this is all speculation and no trade will occur, but that's a lot of available trade-material to work with. So the question remains:

How much does Mike Shanahan like Sam Bradford?

Looking for a late-round prospect to get hyped about? Micah Johnson, 6'2, 255lbs ILB from Kentucky would make a great depth addition to a newly schemed offense. Obviously you'll be able to find some negatives on him, but who wants those? Bring on the youtube highlight clips!  and a good scouting report. He projects to go around 6th round.

There's a lot of talk about who the Redskins should be targeting this offseason, in both free-agency and the draft. I thought I'd chime in with what I hope happens, making what I think is a superbowl contending team (with the Shanahan's playcalling).

Free Agency:

The main free-agency acquisition is Carlos Dansby, to play OLB opposite of Brian Orakpo. OLB is a position of need and Dansby has expressed interest in (Snyder's money) coming here, so I see this as feasible. 

Trade:

The other acquisition for our starting line is through trade with Buffalo. As you may have heard around the grapevine, the Bills are interested in Jason Campbell. The trade I envision sends Jason Campbell and Chris Horton to Buffalo for Donte Whitner and the Bills' first round pick at #9 overall. Whitner was the 8th overall pick in the 2006, and has played consistent, but not spectacular in the secondary. He played 10 games in 2009, with 57 tackles, 5 passes defended, two picks, one returned for a TD. He is more suited for the Free Safety, but the Bills have a new young stud in Jairus Byrd playing there. They would love nothing more than pairing Byrd with another young stud like Horton. I'm a big Chris Horton fan, but with LaRon at SS, and Reed Doughty and Kareem Moore capable backups, Horton is a luxury that we can afford to part with. Obviously we would like nothing more than to move Landry to his more suited position at SS, with a quick FS behind him, and another first round draft pick. 

Note: This trade would take place as the Buffalo Bills go on the clock at #9 in the draft.

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My last entry questioned whether or not Brian Orakpo should be considered our starting SAM back as of right now (he is also designated an LB in the new Madden). While I haven't heard anything new to change my opinion either direction, I have been trying to think of the possible benefits Orakpo could have while playing LB. Jamie Dukes and Rod Woodson demonstrate how to use Orakpo with Haynesworth in the 32 in 32 video on nfl.com (we were voted 17th overall by fans).

One thing Rod Woodson points out is that Orakpo should try to line up far outside Haynesworth to get an inside gap to open up. I agree with this strategy, but am concerned about the possibility of opening a big running lane between two. Solution: Line up Orakpo as a Sam LB in a 4-3 Over formation. This puts him up far outside and (usually) opposite of Haynesworth, who we know will (usually) demand a double team. Orakpo is then picked up by a FB or HB (maybe a TE), a matchup that I would love to bet on every time.

The obvious disadvantage is leaving the midfield less covered, though I think Fletcher, Blades, and McIntosh are more than smart enough to play as two-gap LBs. And with Chris Horton frequently playing close to the line, TE coverage can be supported. There's no need to blitz him every down, but having Orakpo's monster figure on the outside of the line will definitely force adjustments to the offensive schemes. 

Any other strong benefits to having #98 off the line?

I'm reading the rookie first impressions report by Steve Wyche over at NFL.com, and can't help but think that he's made another wrong assumption. Steve Wyche has never really impressed me. You may remember that it was his "source", and only his "source" that said the Redskins were going after Sanchez in the draft (and if you've seen my other posts, you'll know I think this is vastly exaggerated). Now in this article, he is saying that Orakpo is going to be playing OLB.

Like English, Orakpo is making the transition from collegiate defensive end to outside linebacker. The 13th overall pick has shown well enough in offseason workouts that he will enter training camp as the Redskins' starter on the strong side.

Now I have read that he has been practicing with the LBs at OTAs, and will be used (probably frequently) in situations at strong side linebacker. But I haven't read anything about him being our starting SAM, and everytime I hear reference to his position change, there is an emphasis to note that he is still coming in to attack the quaterback (and will be back to practicing mostly with the linemen in training camp).

So what do you think? Are we going to see Orakpo more at SLB or DE? And is there any justification for calling Orakpo our starting LB?

Pasta Padre has posted the Madden NFL 10 Player Ratings. This next installments has much more variance in the ratings system, making a more noticeable difference between elites and the not-so-elite ("Romos"). I like this idea, as it should pronounce the strengths and weaknesses of a team, making the actual matchup as important as the team you pick. It's also why you'll see guys like Colt Brennan with an overall of 49 (and the "he should be atleast a 70" posts below). I'm not sure what Pasta Padre's credentials are, and I haven't seen this on EA's site yet, but here's how the Redskins are said to be:

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Saw it on redskins.com and thought I'd start the thread. Seems strange to me that we're releasing from the line we're trying to bolster. Maybe it was cap room related, and he'll resign later at a smaller contract. Or maybe we're confident enough in the young guns. I hope this means Mike Williams is impressing... 

Any ideas?

Cap Room info:

Jansen was due to earn a base salary of $1.35 million this season, plus a $1 million bonus if he was on the roster on July 1st, 2009. He was scheduled to receive base salaries of $4.35 million in each of the final two years of his contract.

The current poll on nfl.com has led me to this fanpost rant about everyone's perception of the NFC East in the upcoming year. The consensus in the poll, and in most analyst reports, is that the Philadelphia is the strongest team in the NFC East for the upcoming year, with Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins following in that order.

Now I'm use to the Redskins flying under the radar, as they seem to do every year. But this year (again) has me baffled at how we're projected at the bottom again.

I'll admit, Philly has a pretty prolific offense. McNabb and Westbrook, when healthy (see: half the time) are two of the best at their positions. And Jackson could develop into an elite threat (when not suffering from premature throwbackulation). But is everyone ignoring their defense? They've lost DC Joe Johnson and Brian Dawkins this off-season. That's ripping the engine and steering wheel out of their metaphorical car.

The Giants and Cowboys both lost their wideout threat. They both have great running games, but without that prolific WR threat, defenses will be able to cheat closer to the line. Both should have noticable dropoffs in running production because of the loss (and I still don't think Romo is an elite Q). 

Then our 4th ranked defense adds Albert Haynesworth (99 ranking in Madden this year! haha) and Brian Orakpo. Sure, the offense has most of the question marks, but weaker division rivals keeps me optimistic we can make the playoffs. And show me a team that doesn't have a few ??? (except maybe the Steelers)

I see rankings as:

1) Giants

2) Redskins

3) Eagles

4) Cowboys

With the Eagles and Cowboys not making the playoffs. What do you think? What are your rankings?

Our team is looking pretty good to set-up the occasional 3-4 front to screw with opposing OC's.

Orakpo is an obvious fit at OLB, maybe with that new Henson guy on the other side?

And Blades and Fletcher would both make good ILBs.

We all know big Al can play NT, bookended with Daniels and Griffin maybe?

And then the standard Hall/Rogers/Horton/Landry in the secondary.

Not sure if they'll do it, but I'm setting it up on Madden anyways.