This is a big week. Week 3 of preseason is widely considered the “dress rehersal” of the regular season and the Redskins certainly have a lot to work on. Here are some things to watch for:

Josh Norman:

Josh Norman was smoked last year by the Bengals all-pro WR AJ Green to the tune of 121 yards on 9 receptions. Yet, Norman did jump two of his routes dropping two easy interceptions in that game. I don’t expect the Bengals to pick on Norman like he did last year but it will certainly be Normans biggest test of the preseason.

DJ Swearinger:

Keep an eye out for #36.  Tyler Eifert went for 102 yards and a TD on 9 receptions and Dalton went for 27/42 for 284 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT last year. If Swearinger is as good as advertised, he will have his biggest test today against these two.

Run Pro:

The redskins running game has been poor this preseason.  However, the Bengals finished 21st against the run last year and have lost a few pieces along that front. I wrote last week about the missed assignments the redskins had.  All I would like to see this week is the line giving Robert Kelley a chance to make plays. So far, he’s been hit in the backfield more often than not. If the Redskins can get a hat on a hat, there should be some lanes to run through. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Perine got a few carries on the first team.

Gruden’s Play Calling:

This may be wishful thinking, but let’s see the Redskins open up the playbook a bit. The offense has struggled and it may be by design. Gruden has kept it very vanilla. There have been lots of hopeless runs and screens to Ryan Grant. So far, the biggest plays have all come from the same ‘wheel’ route up the sideline by either a running back or a tight end. Would it be too much to ask for a backside post or a fly route? Let’s see Pryor go up after one like we’ve seen in practice. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gruden dials it up on the first drive just to give the fans some hope. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran the ball three times and punted either.

Josh Doctson:

Following the play calling, let’s see a little more of #18. The Redskins could be very well be hiding him from other teams in the same way they’re hiding their creative plays. Every report out of camp is how impressive/ athletic he is. He is still nursing a hamstring and I’m sure Gruden wants to keep him healthy, but he desperately still needs game action. If the Redskins make it in the red zone, look for a few shots to #18.

Who will start at OLB?

So far, Preston Smith continues to be the starter on the depth chart. Smith looked good last week, pushing the pocket and getting a sack. He will get plenty of playing time this week since rookie Ryan Anderson is nursing a shoulder stinger and Trent Murphy is now out for the season. Junior Galette has a prime opportunity this week to unseat him but he is still nursing a hamstring injury.  If Galette is a go, look for #58 to rotate in with Smith early and often. If not, Chris Carter may end up playing the whole game.

The New Starting ILBs:

It was made apparent this week that Zack Brown and Mason Foster will be starting this week at inside linebacker leaving the captain Tom Compton as a sub in. Brown has been as good as advertised and is a lock for the starting job week 1. Foster, not so much. I will agree that Foster has played better than Compton but Compton is a vocal leader who calls the plays and audibles. That job is now Foster’s. It will be interesting to see how Foster reacts to the Bengals audibles. Also, don’t count out Martrell Spaight. He made some plays last week against the second unit and may be the best run stuffing MLB on the team.

 

What a disgrace.  Redskins were showing so much promise in all these training camps then went up to Baltimore and laid a big fat egg.  Where do I even begin? Starting offense and defense both looked like white dog crap.  Special teams need some work (as usual).  Rookies were meh. Let’s dive into the first few drives by the starters.

Opening Drive Offense:

Play one was bad. Cousins play-actions and misses Pryor over the middle. Pryor gets his hands on it but can’t hold on. However, play two really set the tone for the rest of the day.

Here’s a simple fullback lead dive you learn in little league. Right off the bat you can see that Trent Williams (#71) is already beat. Scheriff is getting his butt kicked at RG and Lavou/ Long can’t move the NT.  #55 blows up the whole run and its a loss of a yard.

This play was particularly sad because Niles Paul got to the linebacker and locked him up. If Trent gets a better block here, Kelley is off to the safeties.

Next play – sacked lunch.

Gruden dials up the “Four Verts/ Everyone Go”, aka everyone’s going deep. Long and Scheriff are the apparent weak links on the offensive line. Right as Kirk hits his drop back, Long is already falling over and Scheriff is on skates.  For some reason, Kirk has no hot routes on this play.  His only option is to try and dodge the onslaught. The pocket collapses and he has no where to go.

PUNT.

 

Opening Drive Defense:

First off – crappy punt.  Not even our punter could get his act together for this one. Defense got a three and out but only by the skin of their teeth. Ravens first play was luckily a dropped pass.  Second was an end around that looked to have a lot of space.

Defense is playing man to man here. Kerrigan diagnoses the play but is somewhat in no mans land here trying to get up field.  He does enough to get the back off track. Compton (#51) still hasn’t even noticed it’s an end around and is staring in the backfield flat footed. Mason Foster does a good job of closing down and making the play. Otherwise this is an easy 1st down or more.

Third play is another man to man look where Fuller (#29) gets beat off the line and leaves the slot WR wide open. Luckily for Fuller, Mallet overthrows him.

2nd Drive Offense:

Skins offense trots out one more time this time backed up at the 1 yard line.  They start with an easy zone read left that Kelley does a good job of pushing ahead and getting 3 yards in a cloud of dust.

Finally, something positive! Next play, play action pass that gets blown up by a blitz. Cousins does a good job of getting it to his check down Kelley for a gain of 6.  Now for the 3rd and 1 debacle.

Appears to be a inside zone right towards the right guard. There is a clear miscommunication between Mosses (#76) and Davis (#86) on who should block the DT #96 who proceeds to fly into the backfield UNTOUCHED and blow up Kelley as soon as he gets the ball for a 5 yard loss.

These kind of plays give me nightmares of last year. The Redskins red zone, 3rd and short/ 4th and 1 woes all stem from this ineptitude to run the ball when the defense knows you’re going to. Also, it’s good to note here that Scheriff gets beat AGAIN! He looks like a shell of his Pro-Bowl self from last year.

This play was doomed from the start and capped off the starters afternoon with a -1 net yards total. Fantastic.

2nd Drive Defense:

Ravens get good field position (again) and look to start pounding the ball. However, the defense did well.  Rookie OLB Ryan Anderson (#52) made a good couple of run stuffs in his first outing.  Here he is on the 2nd play blowing up a counter tray look that looked to have some space.

Anderson diagnoses the play and takes on not one, but two pulling guards to expose the RB. This play was exactly why the skins selected him in the second round. Worth noting that Zack Brown #53 did a great job of reading the play and getting through traffic to get the RB in the backfield (as well as beating strong side LB Compton #51 to the play).

The final play was an incompletion over the middle that was close to being picked. Another 3 and out for the defense.

That would be all she wrote for the first team players. From here the backups took over. Here are some standouts.

Studs/ Duds:

Dud: Samaje Perine #32

Our first look at rookie RB Samaje Perine was not great. Matter of fact, he was a disaster. His first run he misses a clear hole off tackle and gets stuffed at the line of scrimmage.

Perine gets another chance on a 4th and 1. Its a clear power/ gut up the middle but Perine stutter steps looking for a hole and almost gets stuffed in the backfield.

Not the kind of run you want to see from a power back. You cannot stutter step on 4th in 1 in the NFL. Redskins get a good surge off the line but Ravens #51 comes free off the edge and catches Perine in the backfield before he can hit the hole.  He seemed to clearly be behind the first down marker but the refs gave it to him anyways.

He did have runs like this a Oklahoma that he broke into big gains but he will need to make quicker decisions here in the future. That play, unfortunately, would be the ‘highlight’ of his day. Next series out, he did this:

This is the kind of fumble that would get you cut if you were an undrafted free agent. For starters, he has the ball in the wrong arm. My guess is he was shifting it as he took the handoff which is a cardinal sin.  The pulling guard is late getting to his man and Perine had the awareness to juke him as he took the handoff. However, you have to secure the ball first. This cannot happen at this level. Thankfully he was able to hop on it.

He followed this up with a dropped check down pass that earned him a seat on the bench for the rest of the half. His pass blocking was downright dreadful on that series as well.

He was able to settle down a bit in the second half against lesser opponents. He had a few nice gains and squared up a blitzing linebacker in pass pro. He’ll need to bring that kind of play next week or his 3rd team spot is in jeopardy.

Grade: D-

Stud: Zack Brown #53

Newly acquired ILB Zack Brown had a good game. He looks far and away the best ILB on the roster and is going to be an asset in the run game. And he’s not to shabby in pass pro either.

No reason for him to be running with the twos anymore.

Grade: B+

Stud: Jonathan Allen #95

Welcome to the league Jon Allen! Allen didn’t get very much play time but looked like the top 5 talent he was supposed to be. His first sack wasn’t for much of a loss but was the kind of hustle play you look for in a top talent.

The Ravens left tackle was no match for Allen and the QB wasn’t fast enough to get away. Allen would follow that with 3 more QB hurries in his short work. He, like Brown, needs to be working with the ones from now on.

Grade: B+

Stud: Nico Marley ILB #46

Marley gets the game ball this week.  The 5’8″ linebacker stands out because of his lack of size but makes up for it with his tenaciousness. He clearly has a nose for the football and some solid instincts to boot. If he didn’t make the tackle, he was buzzing by or piling on  Here is his sack.

Marley times up the blitz on the snap count that swim moves the foot taller guard and immediately penetrates the back field. The QB hadn’t even finished his drop before he was flushed out by Marley. This truly was the play of the day.  The undrafted FA finished the day with 4 tackles and a sack.  Not bad at all.

Grade: B

Dud: Kendall Fuller #29

One of my “ones to watch” this week in the preview did little to excite.  He blew his coverage on the first drive and was bailed out by a bad pass. After that, he held his own in the run game. Unfortunately I don’t have access to a wide enough view of the DBs in my film. Yet, his mistake against a backup slot receiver is something to be concerned about.  Fuller looked elusive in the punt return game however. Will be interesting to see how he fares the next few there.

Grade: D+

Dud: Matt Ioannidis #98

Ioannidis has been receiving rave reviews this offseason and he certainly looks the part out on the field. However, he hardly made an impact and seems to be a one-trick pony when it comes to pass-rushing. It’s either bull-rush or run-set. He held his ground well against the interior of the ravens offensive line but that’s about it. They may be grooming him to take the nose tackle position soon.

Grade: C-

Dud: Colt McCoy #12

McCoy looked about as bad as ever.  Here is his day in summed up in one picture:

Who the hell was he throwing to? The line was doing him no favors but the pick he threw at the end of the first half is a nice reminder of life without Kirk Cousins.

Grade: F

Dud: Rookie Receivers?

What rookie receivers, right? Robert Davis #19 caught one pass for 31 yards. James Quick caught 3 balls for 20 yards toward the end of the game. Everyone else, crickets. Matt Hazel (newbie, not a rookie I know) had one chance over the middle that was overthrown by McCoy. Its hard for me to be critical of the WRs since the QB play was so poor but this was a golden opportunity squandered for these bubble players.

Grade: Incomplete

TEAM GRADES:

Offense: D

Defense: C+

Special Teams: D

Next Week:

The Redskins take on Green Bay this Saturday at Fedex. Hopefully this lousy opener will be a wake up call to everyone.

Injuries:

Trent Murphy: ACL- Out for Season

Josh Docston: Hamstring – Day to Day

Jamison Crowder: Hamstring – Full Participation

Fabian Moreau: Shoulder – Full Participation

Jordan Reed: Toe – Day to Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah it’s that sweet time of the year again!  Over-hyped backups, vanilla play-calling, and meticulously long interviews with mind-numbing coach speak.  Yes, preseason football is finally upon us!  The Redskins begin their preseason as they mostly do, with the Baltimore Ravens.  Here is a small preview or what to watch for.

What to watch for:

1. The Alabama Rookies: Jonathan Allen (#95) and Ryan Anderson (#52) accounted for 19.5 of the 26 sacks on the #1 defense of all of college football last year. Reports out of camp are Allen is every bit of the talent he was projected to be and is already beating the skins backup offensive lineman soundly. Ryan Anderson has shown flashes, but is getting mixed reviews. He appears to be better at setting the edge in the running game then anything else.  Allen is currently the backup RE and 1st DE off the bench. Anderson, even with his lackluster camp, 3rd off the bench behind suspended Trent Murphy.
2. Is the Matt Ioaniddis hype real?  Staying with the d-line, Matt Ioaniddis (DT #98) has received a lot of praise this training camp.  The 5th round pick from last year, who was beaten out in camp by an undrafted FA, has added some weight in the offseason and has bull rushed his way through every guard on the roster, including our pro-bowler.  More young defensive lineman, the better.

   

3. Which pass catcher is going to step up with Doctson, Crowder, and Reed out? This is a prime opportunity for rookies Robert Davis WR (#19), Zack Pascal (WR #16), and Jeremy Sprinkle (TE #87) to get some playing time and make plays especially if Harris (WR #13) cannot go.  However, my gut is expecting the Ryan Grant (WR #14) show.  I’m particularly excited to see Pascal who is from the DC area, who went to ODU and has a knack for making spectacular catches.
4. How does Su’a Cravens (#30) adjust to life as safety? Last year’s 2nd round pick was having a good year as the dime MLB until he got injured. One of the big stories this offseason was his shift to strong safety.  He now sits atop the strong safety depth chart heading into preseason week 1 and should get a majority of snaps in the first half. With the Ravens pitiful run game, I expect to see a lot of deep balls heading in Craven’s direction. Let’s see if he can make the same plays he did at USC.

   

5. Battle for starting CB? Kendall Fuller (CB #29) has been having a good camp. Bashaud Breeland (CB #26), not so much. Breeland was thrown out of a walk through today for instigating a fight. Yes, you read that right, a walkthrough.  Kendall Fuller has played well enough to cement himself as the nickel corner and took first team reps across from Norman after Breelands antics today.  Again, I fully expect to see the ravens air it out after their running game fails. Lots of opportunities for these two to make plays.
6. Red Zone Offense: Last but certainly not least, lets see how the pitiful red zone offense looks this year. The Redskins ranked 30th in the league in red-zone TD efficiency (TD/ ATT). The Ravens boast one of the better defensive lines in the league led by Ngata so the running lanes will be tight. Look for Pryor (WR #11) to be targeted early and often. Pryor is having an unreal training camp, making highlight reel plays day after day. After the twos come in, expect a heavy dose of Samaje Perine (RB #32) and Mack Brown (RB #34).

   

Injuries:

Jordan Reed: Toe – Day to Day

Josh Doctson: Hamstring – Day to Day

Jamison Crowder: Ankle – Day to Day

Maurice Harris: Hamstring – Day to Day

 

 

Well paint me blue and call me babe. The Redskins got the best possible player for one their biggest needs with the 17th overall pick.  Jonathan Allen, DT/DE Alabama, who I have blogged about before, was someone I assumed would be taken within the first four picks.  There were grumblings of his draft stock falling after some crackpot doctor said he has shoulder problems, claims that Allen venomously denied. However, no one really thought he would fall to #17 overall. The 16 teams before us could all have used a player like Allen. Four defensive lineman were taken before the skins selected Allen and I could make an argument that he is better than all of them.  Besides Allen, the Redskins made some solid picks to address some other needs.  So, without further ado, my draft grades:

1st Round #17 Overall: Jonathan Allen, DT/ DE, Alabama: Grade A+

Hold on to your butts. I said this before and I’ll say it again – the Redskins could not mess up this pick if they closed their eyes and picked the best defensive player available on board.  Furthermore, they could not mess up this pick if they went ANY of the top 10 defensive lineman. But my God, they get one of the best players in the whole draft fall right into their laps. Getting Allen at #17, where most early mock drafts had him going #2 overall, is a like someone knocking on your door and handing you the keys to a brand new Ford GT40. Now, the Redskins could have taken Reuben Foster here who also happened to fall to #17. However, this was the better pick based on need.

Allen stands 6’3″ and weighs 286.  He has long arms (33 5/8s”) and was uber productive at Alabama.  The High School Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia started sophomore year through senior year on an Alabama team that went to the National Championship all three years (winning once).  He finished his career with 152 tackles, 28 sacks and 44 (!!) tackles for loss. Good. Freaking. Heavens. Allen is as polished as a defensive lineman as I’ve ever seen coming out of college. He eats up double teams, sets the edge well, and uses his long reach to create separation and make tackles in the hole.  Redskins needed run stoppers and Allen is does that in his sleep. Allen played all over the line at Alabama – inside, outside, nose, and made plays at all of them.  Allen may not be your prototypical pass rusher, but he was able to use his athleticism, technique, and relentlessness to get pressure from everywhere.  And when he gets his mitts on you, it’s over.  Saban praised Allen for his work ethic, saying he was a student of the game, very coachable, and a film junkie. All I hear is “leader by example”, something the skins could use a lot more of.

If I had to find negatives on Allen I’d say he grew up in Leesburg and went to high school at my arch rival Stone Bridge High School that won State Championship after State Championship.  He’s known nothing but success his whole life.  Allen was reported to have “shoulder arthritis” which may limit his career. He had a poor combine (5.0 40 and 21 reps) so the athleticism on tape could have been the product of mismatches created by the plethora of talent on the Tide defense. It will be interesting to see how he responds to the game planning on NFL offensive coordinators.

Time will tell if the shoulder becomes a problem. However, for the time being, let us relish in the fact that the 2016 Chuck Bednarik and Bronco Nagurski Award (the nation’s top defender on the nation’s top defense) fell right into our laps. Let’s hope he plays with a chip on his shoulder for being selected 15 picks after a smaller, less productive, and west coast DE in Soloman Thomas and 3 picks after an SEC foe who is smaller and one-dimensional in Derek Barnett.  Allen should start right away on the redskins depleted d-line and make an impact. Hopefully he will make the kind of impact he made his four years at Alabama.

2nd Round #49 Overall: Ryan Anderson, Edge Alabama: Grade B+

The skins front office must’ve heard me during the SEC and National Champion games where I shouted over and over again “please God just draft every player on that Alabama defense”.  Ryan Anderson, OLB/ Edge, Alabama stands 6’2″, 253lbs,  Anderson is a 3-4 outside linebacker that rushed the passer 90% of the time. He finished 2016 season with 9 sacks,  16 tackles, and 19 tackles for loss. He is a perfect fit into our 3-4 defensive scheme. Anderson was a 5 star recruit out of high school who didn’t see the field much as a freshman or sophomore.  However, he was the first man off the bench in the 2015 National Championship season and was a starter last year where they were 1 second away from repeating. Anderson is a relentless pass rusher who appears to have perfected the strip sack already.  Seems like every highlight of him hitting a QB, the ball comes flying out immediately after. He plays low to the ground and utilizes his lower center of gravity to unleash some nasty power moves.  I did a double take when I realized he is 6’2″ – looks more like he’s 5’10” on tape.  He is a smart player, who recognizes play actions and misdirections immediately.  He hardly gets blown off the ball and sets the edge well against the run which could be enough of a reason to take him here. So why not an A for Anderson? Anderson has short arms (31″) which could be a problem when he goes up against some of the bigger tackles in NFL. The redskins also had a chance to get one of my favorite inside linebackers in the draft with Zach Cunningham here and decided to select a somewhat more need based pick with Anderson. I will be happy to eat my words if Anderson gets a few strip sacks next year in the burgundy and gold.

3rd Round #89 Overall: Fabian Moreau, CB UCLA: Grade B-

Redskins went cornerback in the 3rd round for the second year in a row. Fabian Moreau stands 6’0″, weighs 206 lbs, and was a combine hero. He finished 2nd in the 40 yard dash posting a 4.35 and beat all CBs in the broad jump posting 136″.  He also finished top 10 in vertical (38″) and 60 yard shuttle (11.45 seconds). Needless to say, he’s a great athlete who has all the measurables to succeed. However, he has a checkered injury history.  Moreau tore his pectoral muscle during his pro day while benching but is expected to be ready for camp. He missed most of the 2015 season due to a Lisfranc injury in his left foot. Yet, I think the Redskins got good value with selecting him here. He was a top 50 talent before the pro day injury and with the proper coaching could be one of the better CBs in the draft. Scouts like to say that he is “inexperienced” just because he was recruited as an RB and made the transition to defense freshman year but I don’t buy it. He played well as CB in 2013 (All-Pac12 honorable mention) and 2014 (2nd team All-Pac12) before this injury.   His tape is shaky at best and with only 3 interceptions in 4 years is why I’m going to give him a B-. He will benefit from having NFL coaching and with his athleticism, the sky is the limit.

4th Round #114 overall: Samaje Perine, RB Oklahoma: Grade: A

Bill Callahan eat your heart out. Gruden says he wants the skins to be a “power run team” when they hired Callahan a year ago.  Since, Callahan has done his best to groom the o-line to be road graders. Two years later, no dice.  Matt Jones was over drafted to be that “power-run” guy and I think it’s fair to say that was a mistake. Jones has the size but he’s not a down hill runner.  You could see Gruden pulling his hair out watching this 6’2″ 240 back getting put completely on his ass by nickel backs.  Combine that with his poorly timed fumbles and his lingering soft tissue injuries, it’s fair to say it’s time to move on.  Robert Kelly was a fullback from Tulane and filled in nicely in his place but he’s not the answer. Enter Samaje Perine.

Perine holds the record for most rushing yards in one game in NCAA history (427) and averaged 6.0 yards per carry over his career even though he was sharing carries with Joe Mixon the last two years.  Perine was the thunder to Mixon’s lightning in the OU backfield. Perine runs north/south and looks for contact. He loves using the stiff arm which comes in handy when a smaller DB tackles low.  Needless to say, Perine made his living in the red zone, racking up 39 TDs over his career. From what I saw, Perine doesn’t necessarily force his way into the endzone.  He waits for the blocks to develop, keeps his feet pumping and find a seam for the easy score. However, he finishes with authority, sometimes driving a linebacker to the ground 5 yards into the endzone. Oddly enough, both Mixon and Perine were used in the passing game and Perine was no slouch.  He was impressive catching passes out the backfield which more often than not caught defenses completely off guard.  And again, once in the open field he utilizes his balance and stiff arm to create plays.

I am a sucker for late round running back picks so obviously I give this pick an A.  I’m salivating over the potential with Perine. Even if he comes in just on goal to go situations, he’s worth the pick. Let’s hope he can stay healthy .

More draft recap coming soon…

Let me preface by explaining my month-long hiatus.  I concluded my last blog explaining how morale was low here at skins skinny.  Shortly after, morale took another blow as the rumors became real and Scott McCloughan was fired.  However, the way in which McCloughan was dragged through the mud after his firing by the Redskins front office was something that felt wrong and downright evil.  I couldn’t wrap my head around what was so obvious – Allen was jealous McCloughan was getting all the credit. Allen was supposedly the one holding the purse strings (i.e. not paying Kirk his money) so he must’ve felt slighted that McCloughan was getting all the praise of turning the team around.  There was another story out that McCloughan wanted to trade Kirk and Gruden adamantly opposed that idea which would explain the Gruden extension.  However, with stories from players saying Allen was cursing out Scott for entering the locker room and how Allen had a one on one meeting to tell Scott “no one likes you here”, it’s obvious that Allen was just jealous McCloughan.  That is flat out depressing.

The only good news from all this is now the microscope is on Allen.  If the redskins fall apart this year, you can guarantee he’s going to feel the heat.  Enter 2017 NFL Draft, Allen’s last hope.  I’ll go on the record now saying that if he misses on this draft, he’s getting fired this offseason.

With that, here is MY mock draft:

#17: Corey Davis, WR Western Michigan:  Oh yeah, I did it. I drafted a WR in the 1st round. Yes I remember who we picked first round last year. Yes I know we picked up Pryor. Yes I know how bad our defense is. My response:

Corey Davis is a true #1 wide receiver.  He didn’t play the toughest DBs in the MAC conference but my goodness what a mismatch he was.  In 2016, he went for 1500 yds, 97 receptions and 19 TDs leading the Broncos to their first even 13-0 season and breaking the FBS record in total yards in a career. They would go on to lose to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl but Davis certainly wasn’t at fault (as seen above).  His playmaking ability to go up after a jump ball is what caught the attention of scouts.  You just don’t see that kind of aerial domination every day.  But what sets Davis apart is just how tough he is. He looks for jam when coming off the ball and tends to hit linebackers over the middle before they can hit him.  He loves the stiff arm which he combines with a vicious juke move that leaves defenders pantsless. Furthermore, he’s not afraid to stick his nose in there on a run block.  I watched him stalk block a Wisconsin DB in the Cotton Bowl and take him clean off the field.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more polished run-blocking WR coming out of college. When I watch his film, I get excited about the player he could become.

He is an emotional leader, a winner, and plays with the toughness of a tight end.  He weighed in at 209 but he plays like he’s 235. Say he bulks up a little more at the NFL level and you have a brand new Mike Evans with Hines Ward level meanness. Before I get to far ahead of myself, let me address the red flags.  His 40 and vertical remain a mystery because he didn’t run it at either the combine or his pro day. He played in a spread system that relied heavily on him and again, he played in a bad conference so his stats are inflated. He sometimes drops wide open passes. Maybe that has to do with the volume thrown his way but regardless that will be his biggest issue with whoever selects him at the next level.

Reasoning: Sitting down and running through my own mock draft, I was astonished how many defenders I had other teams drafting before us.  I mean, the 1st offensive player off my board is Mike Williams to San Diego Los Angeles Chargers. Now, Corey Davis could very well be their pick instead of Williams but I believe Davis hurt his stock to much by not participating in the combine or his pro day.

After the Chargers pick is where things get dicey. Fournette seems like a forgone conclusion for the Panthers who haven’t had a decent running back in decades but they could very well go DB there instead. I follow that up with a somewhat-surprise pick of Haason Reddick OLB/DE to the Bengals at #9 who is flying around experts big boards.  He is someone that could be a perfect addition to any team so why not to the Bengals who already have the interior d lineman to have him thrive immediately?  I follow that up with the over-drafting of John Ross at #10 by the life-less Bills who need to re-energize their fanbase.  Now, that’s not to say I don’t think John Ross will succeed, I just think the Bills have much bigger needs that could be filled by a good young DE or ILB.

The saints almost assuredly would pick the best ILB on the board of Reuben Foster at #11 to help that putrid defense of theirs. #12 seems to be obviously QB Mitchell Trubinsky to give the Hue a QB to ruin and the Browns fans some false hope.  That’s why I think it’s even more obvious that the Cardinals take Deshaun Watson one pick after.  I’m sure they’re sold on Mitchell Trubinsky but after they lose their guy and knowing they have to wait 32 picks to potentially get another, they’ll address their future QB problem here.  Some other options here: OJ Howard TE, Corey Davis WR, Barnett DT, Brantley DT.  The Cardinals pick is tough to call because of how weirdly Arians drafts.

The Eagles taking Cook after seeing what a decent running game did for the Cowboys. Davis could go here. Philly needs a WR for Wentz badly but I think they’ll feel like this is a steal getting Cook at #14.  I wouldn’t be shocked if the first offensive lineman went here either.

The Colts need some lineman on both sides of the ball. I like Brantley’s production and his tenacity so he would fit in well with the colts at #15. This may send some shockwaves to the Ravens who seem to draft a player like Brantley every damn year. I think they’re still gung-ho on making that defense a power again so drafting the best edge rusher left on the board here in Taco Charlton or Barnett here would be good for them. I toyed hard with the idea of Corey Davis going here or OJ Howard but I think they’re still spooked from that Perriman pick two years ago and will pass on taking another receiver this high.

THEREFORE: The skins will have a handful of defenders to choose from but none of them get me as excited as Davis. MacDowell and Barnett are good but they will need some coaching before either of them become a star.  Davis could very well be a start right out of the gate. Zach Cunningham ILB is another name that gets thrown around here but with the signing of Zack Brown I think the skins will wait until later in the draft to address the linebacker position. Christian McCaffrey is another player who is getting some consideration here and with him meeting the with the redskins this week you could very well hear his name as well.  McCaffrey is a talent but almost seems like a better 3rd down back than an every down back.  For that reason, I have him falling out of the 1st round altogether.

Yes, I’m taking the high risk player in Davis and hoping that all this domination I’m watching on film carries over to the NFL.  I’ve heard the comparison to Terrell Owens and I like it.  He doesn’t have the mouth of TO, but their size and athleticism is match up perfectly. The more I watch Davis, the more I like him.

Hopefully I’ll be closer than I was last year! My redskins pick was drafted 101 picks later…

John Keim, ESPN Staff Writer:  “Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan is no longer involved in the team’s decision-making as his future with the organization remains in question, multiple sources told ESPN.

One source with intimate knowledge of McCloughan’s situation said his agent, Peter Schaffer, will meet with the Redskins soon to discuss the matter.”

This sums up my thoughts on Keim’s breaking news:

To make this perfectly clear, the Redskins are removing their general manager one day before free agency starts, one month out from the NFL Draft, and giving up on him just two years into his tenure in which the Redskins went from being 3-13 (’13) and 4-12 (’14) to 9-7 (’16) and 8-7-1 (’17).  Why? Is he back on the wagon and drinking again? Did he mess up the Cousins negotiation so bad that Snyder would rather fire him than have him fix it? Does he just not want to work for the Redskins anymore?  There are so many questions here that I cannot answer so let’s speculate.

Timeline: Chris Cooley came on his radio show one morning and speculated that the only reason the Redskins haven’t started conversations with Kirk back in February is because McCloughan is back on the bottle again.  This seemingly harmless joke turned serious as many in sports media couldn’t get a hold of McCloughan to comment on Cooley’s statement.  Thus we started into the ‘radio silence’ phase.

McCloughan was not allowed to speak with ANY media, including ESPN and Redskins Radio, for the whole month of February. Then all of Ashburn stopped returning calls – Jay, Bruce, all of them. Garcon, Jacksons, and even Chris Bakers agent all told reporters that the team had yet to contact them about their upcoming free agents. Then reports come out that McCloughan isn’t attending to the NFL Scouting Combine. Still, radio silence from Ashburn. The next time we heard from someone was Bruce Allen days before the scouting combine to a Nashville sports talk radio station. Thus we begin with the white lying:

Via CBS Chris Lingebach: Amid reports and speculation about Scot McCloughan’s absence from the combine, Allen was asked, during an appearance on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone, about his general manager.

“I’d be remiss if I don’t ask,” the host said. “What’s up with Scot McCloughan, who doesn’t talk to the media and has been behind the scenes? There are rumors out there that he’s away from the team and we know he’s talked about his battle with alcohol in the past, and you’ve got people in D.C. speculating that something’s up there. Is he okay?”

“Yeah, Scot’s a great guy,” Allen said. “Anyone who knows him know he’s a great guy. He’s dealing with some family matters right now. His grandmother died a week or so ago, so he’s dealing with that right now.”

However, McCloughan’s grandmother did not pass away “a week or so ago”.  In fact,  she passed away Feb 6th – the beginning of February. This interview took place March 2nd.  Yet, as DC reporters started the press the issue, Redskins brass did not comment. Thus, reporters such as Chris Russell and Grant Paulsen at 106.7 the Fan began investigating and reporting that McCloughan is on his way out and the Redskins are just slow playing it to avoid the PR mess.

To make it even more obvious that the Redskins were trying to avoid the PR mess, they extended Grudens contract by two years (a move I like, actually) in so much as to say “hey, we’re not in any kind of mess, we’re united, look! We resigned our head coach!” Now, two days after the scouting combine, sources leaking that McCloughan’s agent has scheduled a meeting tomorrow with Bruce to discuss his clients future followed by Keim reporting that McCloughan is out and Bruce Allen will take over as GM in his place.

Reasons: To believe everything the redskins front office is saying would be like believing Bigfoot is real. However, if we were to believe that McCloughan is having family issues then why couldn’t they come out and say it weeks ago? Were they trying to protect him? Was he still able to do his job or is that why none of our departing free agents got a phone call?  McCloughan has been quoted saying the NFL combine is his favorite scouting event to attend. Was he really still that distraught to not attend?

Let’s say that the redskins are lying about McCloughan dealing with family issues during the combine. This would mean Snyder and Allen are taking back control. Why? Are they not happy with the players McCloughan drafted? Are they divided over whether or not to pay Cousins? What personnel are they disagreeing on? What is the problem?

Fans deserve to know the answers to these questions and the Redskins ownership is keen on keeping them from us. What makes matters worse is the timing of all this. While the redskins are out trying to find a new GM, teams are already lining up their potential free agents. Matter of fact, as I type this Garcon and Desean have both signed with other teams (49ers and Bucs, respectively).  Furthermore, there are now reports that McCloughan was never in charge of the teams personnel. He was actually nothing more than a head scout. Bruce Allen handled the purse strings the whole time. In summary, we were all duped.

Hail to  the Bruceskins: These are turbulent times but one thing remains constant, Bruce Allen is Snyder’s chosen one to run the team. If the last report that Allen was handling all the personnel moves is true, then I have a little more confidence that the skins will be fine. However, I’m not buying it.  Let’s hope the redskins can retain McCloughan’s services in just the drafting department because Allen’s draft classes have not been great. Outside of the 1st rounders Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Williams, 3rd rounder Jordan Reed, tell me who you remember out of this list (2009-2014):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Redskins_draft_history#2009_Draft

 

Kirk Cousins Situation: 

There are reports swirling that 49ers are gearing up to trade for Cousins. Today, the niners  signed Garcon and QB Brian Hoyer, Kirks old teammate at MSU.  I hate to imagine a world where the first decent QB the Redskins have had in my lifetime gets traded in the prime of his career. However, if you’re going to lose him after this year then you should try and pick up something for him. Combine that with the report that Kirk doesn’t want to be here anymore and then we should all be in agreement he needs to be dealt.  The #2 overall pick in this years draft is tempting but the Niners have already released a statements saying they would wait until he becomes a free agent next year before giving up that pick (more than likely posturing but who knows). So now what?  Trade him for a 1st rounder in 2018?

I’ll tell you what you do. Pay that man. Pay him and worry about something else. Make him the highest paid QB in the league and negotiate something in there that gives you a way out if he regresses. Try to work out a deal so it’s not such a burden on your team down the road and effin sign him. Make him want to be here by backing the Brinks truck to his front door. If you want to have a shred of that #3 ranked offense you had last year you have to sign Kirk long term and you have to do it now.

Signs were pointing in that direction just a week ago. The skins put the exclusive franchise tag on Cousins meaning he can not shop the $24 million he is being guaranteed now. Cousins agent went on the record saying that this was a good sign that the Redskins are interested in coming to the table to negotiate a long term deal. The skins then offered him a deal around $20 mil per year. That’s not going to be good enough to get this done but it’s a much better start than last year ($12 mil/ year – 3 years).

All in all, my morale has taken a beating this week from the news of McCloughan, Garcon, and Jackson all departing. However, I still have confidence Kirk will be under center for the skins this year and through 2020.

 

 

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU: Oh how the mighty have fallen. You skip one bowl game and suddenly everyone is questioning your heart and love of the game. Like most rational people, I don’t think he slips past the top 10 (or the top 5 for that matter). However, pro football focus thinks differently:

So, now we’re here. It’s worth noting here that they also have Dalvin Cook, RB, FSU being the first RB off the board at #12 to the Browns as well.  Here are Fournettes stats over his three years at LSU:

Fournette was the #1 overall recruit in 2014.  According to Wikipedia, in high school, Fournette was a track star as well.  He ran a 200m in 21.67 (fastest in 4A) and a 100 in 10.68 (.02 off the fastest time in 4A).  He started as a true freshman at LSU and made an immediate impact. As a true sophomore, he led college football in yards (162 per game), yards after contact (4.0 yards after carry per carry), and missed tackles (85).  His Junior year was disappointing. He came into the year a clear Heisman candidate but was hampered by injuries. Fournette ended up missing 5 games and sitting out the Citrus Bowl which pissed off a whole lot of fans (myself included).  However, even in the down year his stats were still good (6.5 per attempt).

Take: So, you’re telling me that this 6’1″ 235 lb down-hill runner, who led the nation in yards after contact is also one of the fastest players in college football?  Take him.  Take him here, deal with the bitching from fans, and figure out the defense later. There’s no way this guy falls to #17 but God-forbid, if he does, the skins better take him especially if Dalvin Cook goes ahead of him. PLEASE give me an angry Fournette with a chip on his shoulder for falling in the draft. PLEASE make up stories about his toughness and heart to make him fall to us. Yes, I understand he missed a meaningless bowl game. Yes, I understand he was more concerned about his health than his college team.  Yes, I understand the running back position is the shortest lived position in football. But this kind of talent can be the face of your franchise for a decade. He would take us from a finesse pass-first team to a we’re-running-it-down-your-throat team overnight. Goal line problems? Solved. WR leaving in FA? Go ahead. Our offense would be lights out.

His highlights are astonishing. I don’t think I’ve ever said “Jesus Christ” more times while watching someone’s film. He is a power back but he has the speed to split safeties and beat corners in a foot race. The thing I admire most about him is his love for contact. Time in and time out, he’ll see a would-be tackler and turn and run straight at him. Some of his craziest plays are him running straight over a defender and waltzing into the end zone (see below). That kind of ferociousness is what the redskins as a whole are lacking. He is a tone setter. People compare him to Peterson and I can see why. However, I don’t think Peterson ever had these kind of trucks. He is a hybrid of Peterson and Earl Campbell in my book.

Fournette is going to a star and is incredible value at #17.  The only thing that could hold him back are injuries.

Late Round Names to Consider:

Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma: Sticking with the RB theme, meet Joe Mixon. Mixon is 6’1″ 226 who runs similarly to Levon Bell.  Mixon averaged 6.8 yards per carry for the Sooners and was a big part of their Sugar Bowl win over Auburn. However, he is most famous for being suspended for a whole year for punching a woman in the face in public, breaking bones in her face that required surgery to repair. According to Ian Rappaport, Mixon has been also been barred from attending the NFL combine.  At first, Mixon was considered a 2nd round pick. However, he may fall out of the draft completely. It will interesting to monitor his situation moving forward. The video of his assault is almost worse that Ray Rice’s and, unlike Rice, he was actually charged. As a player, I think he’s pretty good. However, now I’m reading there is now a new story of him assaulting a parking attendant in 2016. He needs to mature a good bit before he gets drafted. Yet, I can’t say I’d be unhappy if the redskins selected him with one of their 6th round picks.

Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma: Dede Westbrook is another Sooner to keep an eye on. He stands 6’0″, 175lbs and was a playmaker for Oklahoma this year. He was a Heisman finalist after he finished 2016 with over 1500 yards receiving and 10 TDs.  However, like Mixon, Westbrook has a history of domestic violence. What are they putting in the water down in Oklahoma? In 2012, he was accused of throwing the mother of his two children to the ground. The charges were dismissed and there hasn’t been anything since. His situation is a lot different than Mixon but the stigma is still there. Otherwise, Westbrook is a good player. He is a deep threat similar to Desean Jackson. I’ll wait to see his 40 time but he appears to be one of the fastest WRs in the class. He does a great job of tracking the deep ball and shows great balance along the sideline. Most of his TDs were him being wide open in the Oklahoma spread offense. There is not much tape of him going up and beating a DB one on one so that is a concern. He is a undersized at 175 and probably won’t help much in the run blocking department but his speed alone is worth the 2nd-3rd round pick. His ability to separate from defenders with his quickness and agility (see below) could make him a star in the right system. Let see how he performs at the combine.

 

Jake Butt, TE, Michigan: I LIKE JAKE BUTT AND I CANNOT LIE (sorry not sorry). Okay, so this one is a selfish pick (I want a redskins Butt jersey badly). The redskins certainly do not need any help at the tight end position. However, Jake Butt may be too much value in the mid rounds to pass up. Butt is 6’6″, 248 lbs. He won was the nations John Mackey Award winner (Nations Best Tight End). He caught 46 passes for 534 yards his senior year with 4 TDs. Butt was projected as the third TE off the board before he tore his right ACL in the Orange Bowl.  Jake will most likely miss his entire rookie season. What makes matters worse is that he tore the same ACL his sophomore year which makes the injury that much harder to recover from. Butt is a sure handed receiver. He has the size to be a mismatch against any DB and the speed to be a mismatch against linebackers. He doesn’t make many flashy plays after the catch but he is a reliable target on 3rd down. Furthermore, he is no slouch in run blocking. He has the size and strength to match up with anyone in the NFL and will most likely beef up upon signing.  Let me reiterate, probably the last thing the redskins need right now is another injury-prone TE but if he’s sitting around in the 5th round, take him. Davis isn’t getting any younger, Reed is one concussion away from being out of the league and neither are as willing to run block as Butt.