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As you can see, training camp will end with Fan Appreciate Day where the team will feature an intra-squad scrimmage.

Thanks Jon

I wanted to collect my thoughts for a day or two before writing them down.  Like many of you, I was very angry and depressed about our draft as it unfolded.  I had visions of throttling both Vinny and Snyder with used dental floss.  I was especially upset by our picks in the 5th through 7th rounds, considering them Hail Mary’s, at best, and at the worst, total wastes.  My mood was considerably improved by some of the UDFA’s that we signed in the last 24 hours [following the draft] and I took a particularly perverse pleasure in the thought that it was highly likely more of them would survive to at least the practice squad, than the latter draft picks.  More on them later, but first, I want to show you the results of a little research I [conducted] earlier today.

What I did was take the rosters of eight teams and see how many players they have on it that THEY drafted in rounds 5-7 and also to see how many starters they got out of those picks.  The results were interesting to me and you can draw your own conclusions.

Washington 9 total/1 starter (Horton)
Pittsburgh 6 total/2 starters (Kiemeoatu/Keisel)
Philadelphia 7 total/2 starters (Celek/Gaither)
New York Giants 8 total/3 starters (Diehl/Boss/Johnson)
New England 8 total/2 starters (Koppen/Brady)
Indianapolis Colts 13 total/3 starters (Johnson/Dawson/Bethea)
Dallas Cowboys 8 total/4 starters (Crayton/Anderson/Ratliff/Folk)
Baltimore Ravens 8 total/3 starters (Gaither/Landry/Koch)

Again, draw you own conclusions, but to me the surprise was how much inside the bell curve we were even compared to the “great drafting” teams.  Can you say we keep players we shouldn’t (like Tryon or Doughty) because they are draft picks?  Sure you could, but the same incentive is there for every GM to make themselves look better.
About the only way you can truly say we don’t measure up is that we have only 1 starter out of the group.  But essentially, these picks fill out the reserve roles on EVERY team.  You simply aren’t going to get a lot of starters from 5th rounders on, and to tell the truth, league wide, they may not be any better than UDFA’s in terms of the numbers overall on teams’ rosters.  Again, draw your own conclusions, but we don’t appear to be the nuclear waste dump of late picks that I was under the impression we were.

Back to our draft now.  I am not going to go through each pick in detail.  Others at this site have already done that but I just want to comment upon an overview of my feelings about it.

I think this draft can be divided into 3 parts:

1. Orakpo
2. Barnes
3. All the other picks and UDFA’s

In essense this draft is about whether Orakpo goes on to become the elite player we all hope he will become.  I was originally disappointed because we didn’t take Oher.
But ponder this; 8 or 9 teams passed on Oher after we did.  Does ANYONE here think that Orakpo would have lasted the same number of picks if we didn’t take him?
I sure dont.  I have harped on the necessity of having pass rushers from our D line, and that is what we likely have in Orakpo.  Too light or not strong enough?  Well, Osi
is essentially the same in dimensions and I don’t hear too many teams saying he is too light.  No doubt that Orakpo will have to learn technique and gain strength, but even his detractors admit he has a great explosion and quickness around the corner.  He was the right pick at the right place and he will make or break this draft by himself.

Barnes is a future pick based upon anticipated need.  Smoot has limited time left in his body.  Who knows if we can retain Rogers?  Tryon has bust written all over him.
This was a solid pick looking towards an anticipated need.  Besides, you can never have too many solid corners.  Again, how many offensive linemen were taken in the next 10-15 picks after Barnes?   One, and I believe he was a center.   The remaining tackles all had enough questions so that nobody else was in any great rush to select them at that point in the draft.

Finally, the great unwashed.  Taken together, all of the rest look like projects, fliers, and faint hopes.  Still, if nothing else, the LB’s look like good special teams players and between the 7th rounder and the UDFA’s we have three large, fast, WR’s who, if nothing else, should push our second rounders from last year and may end up developing on the practice squad.  We also have 2 more “Big Fatties” in Walker and Dixon who should push our younger defensive linemen in camp.

Two other players in particular pleased me.  Ed Williams (center) and Chase Daniel (QB).   Williams will likely not only make the PS, but has the real potential of making the team as Rabach’s eventual replacement.  And Daniel?  Maybe my favorite pick other than Orakpo.  He has everything you look for in a QB except great physical dimensions.  He is smart, tough, highly productive and competitive.  He played in a solid conference and had two years with 4,300 passing yards and a 3rd with 3,500 yards.  If he had been three inches taller he likely would have been drafted no later than the second or third round.  That is it.  I firmly believe that between Campbell, Brennan and Daniel the long term starting QB for the Redskins is now on the roster.  If nothing else, the competition between the Cult of Colt and the Cult of Chase should be exciting to watch unfold this summer and beyond.  No matter who wins, the Redskins win.

So, now maybe I am not so depressed after all?  Yes, we still have major issues with the offensive line.  But, if all else fails, there are players out there like Tauscher, Runyon and possibly Levi Jones who could be signed to shore up the line.   Others will be released in weeks to come as well.  I am not even counting C. Williams.  I just hope he doesn’t hurt himself trying out for this team.  But, there will be answers for the offensive line if the younger players already on the roster don’t step up enough.

We will also run our defense with “Linebacker by Committee”.  The Giants did essentially that on the way to their Superbowl.  Philly always seems to be doing that.
We could do worse…

Hail !!

Come speak with the ole fart in our forums.

Pick #80 Kevin Barnes CB UMD
Pros:
-Big with good speed.
-Big hitter
-Good leaping ability
-Fluid hips
Cons:
-Struggles with run support
-Struggles in man2man, especially against big WRs.
-Can be fooled with misdirection
-terrible in bump and run
-Gives too big cushions
Overall Comment: He needs work, but there’s talent there. He needs to show that he’s a ballhawk to earn playing time. That’s his strength. My complaint with this pick is that we passed on a lot of Oline talent for him.
Grade: C
Next ten picks(and who I’d rather have had in bold):
81-Tampa Bay Roy Miller DT
82-Detroit (from Dallas) Derrick Williams WR
83-New England (from New York Jets through Green Bay) Brandon Tate WR
84-Pittsburgh (from Chicago through Denver) Mike Wallace WR
85-NY Giants (from Philadelphia) Ramses Barden WR
86-Minnesota Asher Allen CB
87-Miami Patrick Turner WR
88-Baltimore Lardarius Webb CB
89-Tennessee (from New England) Jared Cook TE
90-Atlanta Chris Owens CB
Who he’ll remind you of:
Best Case: Ken Lucas with more speed
Worst Case: Low rent Ron Bartell

Pick #158 Cody Glenn LB Nebraska
Pros:
-Built stoutly
-Good tackling ability
-Hard worker
Cons:
-Extremely raw: has only played 9 games at LB
-Character concerns
-Fooled easily with misdirection combined with bad change of direction ability
-Durability concerns
-Not that fast or quick
Overall Comment: a waste of a pick frankly. We could use a young Lb, but the list of other prospects at that position was long. And we passed on a ton of OLine talent for him. He’d better be a diamond in the rough, or he’s the next Manny White.  I have a feeling that he’ll just be a special teamer. Also undefendable was passing on guys like Jasper Brinkley in a trade down for him.
Grade: F
Next ten picks(and who I’d rather have had in bold):
159-Philadelphia (from New England) Fenuki Tupou OT
160-St. Louis (from Atlanta) Brooks Foster WR
161-Miami Johnathan Nalbone TE
162-Green Bay (from Baltimore through New England) Jamon Meredith OT
163-Carolina Duke Robinson OG
164-New Orleans (from New York Giants through Philadelphia) Thomas Morstead P
165-Miami (from Indianapolis) Chris Clemons S
166-Dallas (From Tennessee) Michael Hamlin S
167-Arizona Herman Johnson OG
168-Pittsburgh Joe Burnett CB
Who he’ll remind you of:
Best Case: HB Blades with less polish and more athleticism
Worst Case: Robert McCune with less muscle

Pick #186 Robert Henson LB TCU
Pros:
-Good size
-Quick
-Sure tackler
Cons:
-Low talent overall
-Bites on misdirection badly
-Terrible in pass coverage
-Small
Overall Comment:
Grade: F
Next ten picks(and who I’d rather have had in bold):
187-Green Bay (from New Orleans) Brandon Underwood CB
188-Houston Brice McCain CB
189-San Diego Kevin Ellison S/LB
190-Chicago Al Afalava S
191-Cleveland (from Tampa Bay)Coye Francies CB
192-Detroit (from Dallas) Aaron Brown RB
193-NY Jets Matthew Slauson OG
194-Philadelphia Brandon Gibson WR
195-Cleveland (from Minnesota through Philadelphia) James Davis RB
196-St. Louis (from Atlanta) Keith Null QB
Who he’ll remind you of:
Best Case: A low rent DeMorrio Williams
Worst Case: Jared Newberry

Pick #221 Eddie Williams Fb/HBack Idaho
Pros:
-Good outside blocker
-Good hands
-Good pass catching instincts
Cons:
-Injury issues
-Raw
-Struggles blocking front 7 defenders
-Doesn’t have great speed/quickness
Overall Comment: Might be a long term practice squadder/camp fodder who never makes it to the field in a real game, but he’ll get a look or two.
Grade: D
Next ten picks(and who I’d rather have had in bold):
222-Indianapolis (from New Orleans from Philadelphia) Patrick McAfee PK
223-Houston Troy Nolan S
224-San Diego Demetrius Byrd WR
225-Denver Blake Schlueter OC
226-Pittsburgh (from Tampa Bay) A.Q. Shipley OC
227-Dallas Mike Mickens CB
228-Detroit (from New York Jets) Lydon Murtha OT
229-Dallas (from Chicago through Tampa Bay) Manuel Johnson WR
230-Philadelphia Moise Fokou OLB
231-Minnesota Jamarca Sanford S
Who he’ll remind you of:
Best Case: Garrett Mills
Worst Case: A Fb who can’t block.

Pick #243 Marko Mitchell WR Nevada
Pros:
-Good hands
-Good size
-Good instincts
-Good blocker
-Route running ability
Cons:
-Slow and not very quick
-Isn’t that tough.
-Played in a small school/gimmick offense
Overall Comment: Boom/bust, but worth a flyer. If they can work on his footwork, this could be a steal of a pick. Still extremely risky though.
Grade: B
Next ten picks(and who I’d rather have had in bold):
244-San Francisco (compensatory selection) Ricky Jean-Francois DT
245-Seattle (compensatory selection) Courtney Greene S
246-Chicago (compensatory selection) Lance Louis OG
247-Seattle (compensatory selection) Nick Reed DE
248-Seattle (compensatory selection) Cameron Morrah TE
249-Cincinnati (compensatory selection) Clinton McDonald DT
250-Jacksonville (compensatory selection)-Rashad Jennings RB
251-Chicago (compensatory selection)Derek Kinder WR
252-Cincinnati (compensatory selection) Freddie Brown WR
253-Jacksonville (compensatory selection) Tiquan Underwood WR
Who he’ll remind you of:
Best Case: Marques Colston
Worst Case: JR Russell

Overall comment/grade: A waste of a draft. If Orakpo doesn’t pan out, then we really screwed this one up.  If he does, then this is probably a clone of the 2007 Landry draft(which wasn’t that good in retrospect). The 2nd day was so bad that the UDFA signees seem to be better acquisitions than any of those picks. Also, with the Broncos offering Jarvis Moss around for a 7th, I would have used that Eddie Williams pick for Moss to hedge our bets with Orakpo.
Grade: D.

UDFAs(comment and percentage of making the roster)
Robbie Agnone, TE, Delaware: Good size, but not a good blocker. PS at best. 1% chance
Scott Burley, OL, Maryland: Good size, but slow. Probably an OG in the NFL. PS for 09, might have a shot when the OL is purged of older players. 10% chance
Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri: Small, not the greatest arm strength, but smart, a leader and can frustrate defenses by creating plays. Could unseat Brennan for the 3rd Qb spot, probably bound for the PS. 40% chance.
Antonio Dixon, DT, Miami (FL): Big with good speed, raw and needs work. Needs to show something to even make the PS. 1% chance
Doug Dutch, CB, Michigan: Raw with little experience playing CB. Doubtful for the PS with Barnes/Tyron. 1% chance.
Devin Frischknecht, TE Washington State: Hback prospect. Not really a good pass catcher. Doubtful for the PS. 1% chance.
Brigham Harwell, DT, UCLA: Benefits from the Walker connection. 1 gap penetrator, but very small. PS bound, probably, if he shows something he’ll replace Golston in a year. 15% chance.
John Halman, WR, Concordia: Extremely raw, but interesting tools. He’ll have to leapfrog Mitchell even for the PS. 1% chance.
Lendy Holmes, S, Oklahoma: Extremely aggressive player, undersized though. PS bound probably. 1% chance
Robbie Palmer, LB, Arizona: Tackling machine, interesting size/speed, but struggles with mental aspects of the game. Doubtful for the PS. 1% chance.
Derek Walker, DE, Illinois: A Darnett Dockett clone who has some upside. I think he’ll be fighting for a roster spot with Rob Jackson. 60% chance.
Edwin Williams, C, Maryland: He’ll struggle with quicker DTs, but a tough Vet of an OC. With Rabach on his way out, I think he’ll make the roster. 70% chance
Jaison Williams, WR, Oregon: How the mighty have fallen. All the tools, but poor hands and underachieves badly. PS bound, 15% chance.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Ashburn, Virginia — As the 7th and final round of the NFL draft wound down, the Washington Redskins were slightly surprised to find out that the league had awarded them another compensatory selection.  

The league’s current policy of providing compensatory selections for teams who have lost players via free agency is used to help and try and offset personnel losses.  Apparently, after witnessing such poor drafting, the league decided to step in and offer a “bail out”, of sorts, for teams whose picks were immediately known to be disastrous.

“Some of these teams just don’t know what they’re doing.” one NFL executive said.  ”They should probably just use Yahoo auto draft or something but, for some reason, they don’t.”  

He added “It’s not that they don’t care, it’s just that they don’t get it.  I have it on good authority that one NFL team was making vegetable paella in the war room for the better part of the second day of the draft and watching Housewives of Orange County on DVD.  I mean, what are you going to do with that?”

“The NFL, as a league, has a moral responsibility to look after the weakest front offices in our football community.  We think we’ve done that today”, the executive concluded.

The Redskins picked up selection 259 overall in the draft, extending the round even further into the night  With that pick, the Redskins selected Chip “Skippy” Zalinsky to play an as of yet unidentified role with the team.  

Zalinsky was most recently with UPS and, given his skills, it is assumed that he will be one of the quarterbacks that Washington head coach Jim Zorn alluded would be in camp to compete. 

Zorn was unavailable for comment, but when given the chance to talk about, well, anything, Redskins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato insisted that he get some “brewskies” and head over to the hR offices to talk to me about it.  

Said Cerrato, “Yeah, Skippy was one of those guys that had a really high ‘Redskin Grade’.  I’ve seen the film on him and I think can contribute.”  When asked about Zalinsky’s sketchy past, Cerrato insisted “Now, I know he’s had a bad rap on that whole getting maced looking in windows thing, but our guys have vetted that out.” He added, “We’re confident that was not his fault and the women’s underwear found stuffed in his pockets as he left the scene was, as Skippy said, a gift for for his mother’s birthday.”

When asked about the fact that Zalinsky has had 6 knee surguries on one knee, 3 on the other and has a herniated disk in his back, Cerrato countered with, “Yeah, he’s had a run of bad luck but our doctors assure us that he’s just fine.  Apparently, our doctors talked to his cousin who is dating a nurse in his dentist’s office so, you know, he’s good to go.”

Cerrato continued, “So, I called up Skippy and said, “Skippy?  How’d you like to be a Redskin?’  Skippy was so happy.  He just said, “Who is this?  How did you get this number?”  I laughed because he was clearly just having fun with me.  We can kid like that.  That’s one of the reasons we drafted him.  With that sense of humor, we think he’s going to be a great locker room guy.”

Asked what role they had in store for Zalinsky, Cerrato posited “Well, we’ll just have to get him in here to see what he can do.  Just like Glenn, Williams and those other 2 kids we drafted, I can’t remember their names just now, I’m not even sure what positions they’ll be playing.  Maybe offense, possibly defense.  Not sure yet.  We leave that up to Eric Schaeffer, our capoligist.”  

Cerrato also thought it relevant to include that “That wide receiver out of Oregon makes a mean paella, though.”

After about 3 hours of listening to Cerrato opine about everything from the finer athletes in the UPS and DHL system to how to make a good paella, it became clear that he hadn’t even scouted the FedEx roster – widely thought to have the best athletes – before making the Zalinsky pick.

“Some people will tell you that brown rice makes a better paella.  Well, I’m here to tell you, we had our best people in here in October for 3 days looking at that up and down.  Much like when we do scouting, we brought folks in from everyhere — even as far away as Reston — to get a good clear picture on the subject.  I even brought in my sister, although she’s admittedly a much better scout than cook.  Did you see that Cody Glenn pick?  Well done, eh?  That’s my sis.  Anyhoo, about the paella, the secret is to use canola oil instead of olive oil…” he insisted.

Apparently, the secret to finding gems like Zalinsky in the later rounds is to embrace technology.

“So I bought this iPod.”, said Cerrato.  ”You know, you can actually get paella recipes on video for your iPod?  I mean what will they think of next?  I plan on downloading the latest Housewives episodes on my iPod when I get a chance”.  Cerrato slumped over and started to pout.  ”Too bad my iPod doesn’t work.  It was delivered in pieces on my door step but I don’t know how to assemble it.”

The only other team to receive compensatory selections was Oakland, who received picks 257, 258 and 260 through 400.

Redskins 2009 Draft Class

We’re gonna get some members to provide their thoughts regarding the picks sometime this week.  Stay Tuned

So, the Redskins went defense and took DE Brian Orakpo who can be a hybrid LB/DE.  Orakpo comes to the Redskins from Texas.  I’m here in the parking with Akkhorus and BurgundyNGold and Akkhorus is not happy with this pick.  In fact, he’s upset about it and is currently refilling his cup. Akh says it doesn’t make any sense for our scheme.  He feels Blache will not play him early and we could have gotten much better value with Robert Ayers or Michael Johnson.  He also feels that Texas produces soft defenders who have questionable weight gains and never seem to pan out to anything.  <<Pause>> as Akh sips from his brew.  I moved on to BnG he is not happy either.  He thought we should have moved down in the draft or selected OT Michael Oher at 13.  I agree with the Oher option.  All I can say is the Redskins used a 1st round pick on a lineman.  Woohooo  Welcome to Washington Brian Orakpo.

I can’t provide you with all of our comments because the language being used isn’t PG-13.  But we’re laughing and having a great time in the parking.  We have not stepped one foot inside the stadium.

Below is a link where you can get some info on Orakpo

Brian Orakpo Info