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Tale of the Tape: Robert Griffin III vs Oklahoma

2012-02-15T20:00:00Z

This week's tale of the tape focus is highly touted Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III. Rumors today suggest that Redskins owner Dan Synder is "very intrigued" by Griffin III, so lets have a look at the film. First on the agenda is his game against Oklahoma. Griffin III went 21 of 34 (61.8%) for 479 yards and four touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 218.9. Pretty impressive stats, lets see if the film lives up to it.

Here we have Baylor backed up near their own goal line. Griffin gets little support from his offensive line in picking up the blitz, but doesn't panic. He waits to the last possible moment to make a throw and gets the ball off as he gets hit, showing incredible toughness.

But not only does he get the throw off. He completes it; and not only does he complete it, he passes up the easier pass underneath in favor of a much tougher pass to the sideline further down the field. Huge play for Griffin III to open things up.

A little bit later on, Griffin III shows his ability to extend the play, but then nearly throws an interception.

Griffin III does well to sense the pressure coming from the left side, and subsequently rolls to his right.

Griffin has a better option to the outside, but instead looks for his number one receiver, Kendall Wright. Now this is understandable. When the play breaks down and the quarterback begins to scramble, his natural instincts tell him to search for his best receiver. But in this situation he should realize he's covered and look to another target or throw it away.

Instead Griffin III attempts to force the ball into a very tight window while throwing on the run and back across his body (try doing that, it's not easy). In the end, Wright does a great job of sticking an arm into the defenders hands and knocking the ball away to avoid the interception.

Moving swiftly on, next we have a kind of play that Griffin III will see a lot of in the NFL.

Here you see Griffin III faking the hand off to the running back. He draws in a linebacker from the left side of the line, and has a blitzer coming from the right. Wright is running a "Y Shallow Cross", which is essentially, a shallow crossing route from the 'Y' or slot receiver.

Griffin III sells the fake, drawing the defenders in. He gets the ball out quickly to Wright.

Griffin III gets an accurate throw away which is caught by Wright. Then it's all down to Wright to get yards after the catch (he just so happened to break the tackle of the safety and get 30-40 yards down the field on this play). Griffin III will have to be able to see the blitz coming and hit his hot read in behind them a lot in the NFL, because teams will be sending pressure after him in his rookie year to see how he copes.

This play shows off two of Griffin III's best aspects.

Here he fakes the hand off brilliantly, making both the linebacker and safety bite on the play-action. His receiver is running a 'Slugo' route, where he fakes a slant inside to get the defender to bite inside and then run past him deep.

Once the defense actually recognizes the play, the safety is massively out of position and the receiver has eaten up the linebacker's cushion.

Griffin III makes the throw, even with some questionable footwork.

But has great touch on the throw, putting it perfectly into the receivers path. The receiver doesn't have to adjust his route or have to come back to get the ball. It falls beautifully over his shoulder and is an easy touchdown. If Griffin III can sell play action and then throw deep balls with as much touch and accuracy as these in the NFL, he's going to be a very dangerous weapon.

Another thing that makes Griffin III so highly rated is his ability to extend the play, but not just from scrambling, but stepping up and maneuvering while staying in the pocket, as these next two plays show.

Here Griffin III has a defender that is coming right up the middle in his face.

Griffin III calmly dips his shoulder (protecting the ball with both hands) and takes a step up into the pocket. The defender hardly lays a hand on him.

But it's not finished there, as Griffin III steps up, another defender appears in his face. Griffin keeps his eyes down field and fires a bullet before he gets taken down. The pass is very nearly completed into tight coverage, but is dropped.

The second example of pocket maneuverability comes later in the game and is much more orthodox, but no less effective or impressive. It comes on 3rd and 10, backed up near their own end zone with the score tied at 24-24.

The quick outside rush forces Griffin III to step up in the pocket.

Griffin III resets himself after sliding up in the pocket and delivers a strike to the middle of the field.

Where he connects with his receiver for a big first down. Yes the throw was behind the receiver, but it was a catch-able ball. The most impressive thing about this play is the poise he shows under the pressure of 3rd down with the score tied. A lot of 'athletic' quarterbacks would have taken off and run, while some others might have thrown it away or checked down. But Griffin III made the most out of the play.

However, just to bring the hype back down to earth for a second, Griffin does need to improve his decision making.

Here is the rediculous touchdown pass that was deflected by a defender and then caught by a receiver 20 yards down field. Griffin III makes a bad decision to throw into double (high-low) coverage. He has a man cutting in on the outside numbers to his right that is open, but he takes on the double coverage. He gets lucky the the underneath defender only deflects the pass, because in the NFL it would have been an interception and most probably taken back for six.

But to finish things off for this post, let me spark back up the Robert Griffin III bandwagon with an amazing, game-winning play.

There's 15 seconds left in the game, tied at 38 a piece, Baylor have the ball in Oklahoma territory. Once again Griffin III finds himself under pressure and is forced to scramble.

Griffin III breaks the pocket and rolls out to his left, all the while keeping his eyes down the field. He rejects check down targets and instead decides to go for it all. Throwing with questionable technique, and a big defender about to crush him, Griffin III launches it deep to the end-zone.

Amazingly he manages to throw his receiver open and completes the pass in the end zone for the game winning touchdown. If you haven't seen the video of this play, click any of these colored words to go watch it... you're welcome. But in all seriousness, how many quarterbacks playing in the NFL today could have made that play? I can't think of many.

So there you have it for Robert Griffin III vs Oklahoma. Make sure to check back later in the week for more tale of the tape.

Mel Kiper's 2nd Mock Draft Has Redskins Taking Morris Claiborne

2012-02-15T18:58:08Z

Mel Kiper just posted his second mock draft of the year:

1.) Andrew Luck - IND
2.) Justin Blackmon - STL
3.) Matt Kalil - MIN
4.) RG3 - CLE
5.) Trent Richarson - TAM
6.) Redskins....

Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Kiper: The Redskins are a team I could certainly see moving off this pick, but if the draft broke this way, the pick makes a lot of sense on both need and value. And obviously, what the Skins could do in free agency for their offense is something I'm considering. Tyrann Mathieu got the headlines at LSU, but the best cornerback on the team was Claiborne. He's the top corner in the draft, and while the Skins have offensive needs, they should also be willing to draft best available when possible because the roster needs more talent, period. While not quite the athlete, Claiborne is actually a better pure cover corner than Patrick Peterson, the No. 5 overall pick from last year.

Claiborne is listed at 6'0", 185 pounds.

Poll

If the Redskins selected Claiborne at #6....I would....

Redskins Are $47 Million Under the Cap. Some Things That Can Buy...

2012-02-15T15:26:43Z

John Clayton of ESPN just tallied the new salary cap numbers given all the new CBA rules:

One of the new parts of the NFL collective bargaining agreement is the ability of teams to roll over remaining cap room into the next season. The 2011 season finished with $320 million of remaining cap room...Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins has plenty of room to get quarterback and receiver help, thanks to $47.56 million of cap space.

The Chiefs, Benglals, and Bucs are slightly over $60mil. The Giants are currently $7.3 mil over the cap. So, exactly how much is $47.56 mil? Here's an idea:

1160 dates with Scarlett Johnasson.
1 Albert Haynesworth guaranteed contract
68% share in Dan Snyder's super yacht.
7,939,899 Dog Snuggies
105,924 Hawaii Chairs
Approximately 17,800 club level tickets
2.8 sixth pick overall rookie contracts.

OK, so here are some real NFL players $46 mil can buy:

1 London Fletcher. His first contract with the Redskins was 5 years, $25 million, including $10.5m in bonuses. I'd expect that same price range with a 3-year deal and decent bonus where the final two years don't hurt the Skins if Fletcher needs to be cut for whatever reasons.
1 Vincent Jackson - Mike Lombardi expects VJax is looking for a 5-year, $50 mil deal. I think that's very high given VJax just turned 29 and has suspension red flags.
1 Free Agent QB
1 top Corner Back

Free agency is going to be awesome people. Bruce Allen introducing all of our new free agents with Scarlett Johansson on their sides...hail yeah!

Daily Slop : Redskins Full Season Snap Counts; Kerrigan 1 of 9 1st-Rounders to Start all 16 Games

2012-02-15T12:09:03Z

Kerrigan one of 9 first-rounders to start all 16 games - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins
The Redskins were the rare NFL team last year that had all of their 2011 draft picks still in the organization at the end of the season. But taking a look at the first round, linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was one of only nine players to start all 16 games.

The Redskins moved to Washington 75 years ago this week - DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post
Actually, the interesting stuff happened 75 years ago in December, but the archives from this week were still awesome.

NFL draft: Redskins’ best QB option could be Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill - The Insider - The Washington Post
The Redskins should select a passer in this year’s draft, groom him and then turn the wheel over to him next year.

Full season snap count notes: Redskins offense – Blogging the bEast

Redskins receivers lack YAC - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins
One of Redskins coach Mike Shanahan’s talking points near the end of the year and certainly at the Senior Bowl was the lack of big playing in the passing game.

NFL deals are about more than adding a player - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins
One of the interesting aspects of the NFL offseason is that for most actions, there is a reaction.

Beck's Hoping For Another Chance

Overall, Beck completed 80-of-132 passes – a 60.6 completion percentage – for 858 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. He was sacked 16 times, including a franchise-record 10 in the Bills game. His QB rating was 72.1.

Rams Tradability Of The Second Overall Pick In The NFL Draft : St. Louis Rams

The NFL Draft trade value chart is far from an exact science, but it helps to define just how much the Rams could expect for the 2nd pick.

Eyeing Redskins QB Options : Drafting Plan for Griffin.

The Redskins Blog | McIntosh’s Kindergarten Workbook, Dinner

On January 10, Redskins linebacker Rocky McIntosh launched his own nonprofit organization, called A GRAN Foundation, targeted at empowering youth to success by giving them the necessary guidance.

The Redskins are on the verge of great offseason success | February

Take away the McNabb and Haynesworth decisions and you'll see that Mike Shanahan has done things right since 2010. Now big money refers to Redskins cap space and not Dan Snyder's checkbook.

The Redskins Blog | Coaches Pose With Old Van In 1974 Photo

Rick Snider : Making a move for Moss would show desperation for Redskins

NFC East cap review: Redskins in the money - NFC East Blog - ESPN
You have been asking for salary cap numbers. I know. I hear you. I read the comments and still go into the mailbag every now and then (though not as m

Peyton Manning to the Redskins doesn’t excite Vincent Gray - DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post

D.C. mayor says the Redskins ‘need a quarterback that they can build with for the future.’

Rams Tradability Of The Second Overall Pick In The NFL Draft : St. Louis Rams
The NFL Draft trade value chart is far from an exact science, but it helps to define just how much the Rams could expect for the 2nd pick.

Outsiders: NFC East offseason needs - NFC East Blog - ESPN

Football Outsiders is an Insider feature here on ESPN.com, which cracks me up every time, but if you have the Insider access you can check out Vince V

Free Agency: Shopping for Experience | ProFootballFocus.com

PFF's Sam Monson points out value at the older end of the free agent spectrum.

NFL.com Blogs "Steelers likely will use high tender on Wallace "

The Steelers haven’t hidden the fact they plan to retain Pro Bowl WR Mike Wallace. How exactly they’ll go about it remains undecided.

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Broncos once had their eye on RG3 "

How close did Baylor QB Robert Griffin III come to being a legitimate target of the Broncos in the 2012 NFL Draft? Pretty darn close, apparently.

On Moss, Cris Carter says teams should worry about "that thing called quit" | ProFootballTalk

On Monday, former Randy Moss teammate and mentor Cris Carter said that Moss can still run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. On Tuesday, Carter applied a caveat to that assessment.

Could concussions actually kill football? | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports

If the sport of football ever dies, it will die from the outside in.

Roddy White isn’t thrilled with Roger Goodell’s $20 million salary | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports

It probably won't surprise you to learn that Roger Goodell makes a lot of money, but you might be surprised at just how much. Pro Football Talk ran an item Monday saying that Roger Goodell, by 2019, will be making $20 million a year.

Ten Yard Fight: Who's Getting Valentines Today?

2012-02-14T19:00:26Z

1. Whether you believe in the magic that has been commercially injected into this day or not, one thing will always be true: some people need the opportunity, excuse and occasion to express their true feelings. Since I consider myself to be a true servant of the community, I have prepared some special Redskins Valentines. For the people they are intended to benefit, all you have to do is sign them!

2. From: Dan Snyder/To: Peyton Manning
"Dear Peyton,
I have chased after big name free agents before, but you would be my Mona Lisa...my Sistine Chapel. I might own the Redskins, but you own my heart. Please...and I mean this in whatever way gets this deal done: Be mine!"
xxoo
D

3. From: Rodskins/To: Jim Haslett
"Dear Jim,
There is nothing I love more than a breakfast buffet. But when you caught my eye while I was waiting in line at the omelet station, I knew that it was going to be the greatest meal for some time. We shared crispy bacon, Belgian waffles, and most of the blueprint for the Redskins offseason. Please don't be mad at me...we still have to talk about what we are going to do at safety and inside linebacker."
Love, Rodskins

4. From: Bruce Allen/To: Donovan McNabb
"Dear Don Burgundy,
From the bottom of my heart...thanks for sucking out loud in Minnesota. I am not sure I could have handled you taking the Vikings to the playoffs or beyond."
Your friend, Bruce

5. From: John Beck/To: John Beck
"Dear John,
Who has two thumbs and believes you will end up enshrined in Canton, Ohio as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play this game? THIS GUY! "
Love, JB

6. From: Fred Davis/To: Trent Williams
"Dear Trent,
The 'Five O'Clock Club' has nothing on us...starting the 'Twenty Minutes Past Four' club was the smartest idea EVER! They can take our urine samples...but they can never take...OUR FREEDOM!"
Sincerely, #83

7. From: Danny Smith/To: Graham Gano
"Dear GG,
So what if you have been near the bottom of the league in field goal accuracy? So what if the mere sight of you on the field late in the game brings on a rash of heart failure in the stands? So what if you couldn't kick a can down the street without it getting blocked? So what if you are likely the reason I may ultimately lose my job...wait, where was I? Happy freaking Valentines Day."
Regards, Danny

8. From: Perry Riley/To: London Fletcher
"Dear London,
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your mentoring and wisdom. Thank you for proving that size and age matter less than heart and determination. Thank you for preparing me to someday take your place. Just out of curiosity...when do you plan on that happening?"
Not getting any younger (but seriously..thanks!), Perry

9. From: Mike Shanahan/To: Albert Haynesworth
"Dear Albert,
I was running 50 miles this morning and thought of you. Some people would argue the Patriots never would have gotten to the Super Bowl without you. Those people--delusional idiots--really help me appreciate what you did for us here in Washington...on that one play...in that loss. Good times.
Keep on...keep on truckin'"
Shanny

10. From: Redskins fan (me)/To: wife (St. Megan)
"Dear St. Megan,
Behind every great Redskins fan is a woman who has no clue how a man can possibly devote so much time and energy to a team that sometimes seems to go out of its way to take massive dumps on its fanbase (too romantic?). You have redefined the word "amazing" as you made sure our Sundays were cleared to watch some of the worst football allowed on television. You stood by me even after I got kicked out of a bar for screaming "Suck it, Dallas!" at a video screen on which the Cowgirls may or may not have been playing. You understood (or pretended to at least) why I had to take a couple days off when Sean Taylor died. You have learned the rules of the game and you are beginning to understand some of the misery that goes with being a DC sports fan--for that I am very sorry. The fact that both of our kids have July birthdays only means that you were there to comfort me after at least two very tough losses. You are the Sherm Lewis to my Jim Zorn. Someday, I hope to be able to employ a loving Redskins metaphor that is actually complimentary. This site is not possible without all of your hard work. Sure, being married to a blogger sounds glamorous, but you know the reality is a little grittier than that. From the bottom of my heart, please know that I could never find happiness writing every day if I didn't get to wake up next to the greatest woman on the entire planet. Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,
Ken"

Daily Slop: Redskins Tried To Get Adam Carriker Into Pro Bowl; Mike & Mike on Manning-to-Redskins

2012-02-14T13:04:55Z

Adam Carriker: From Washington Redskins Holdover To Nearly A Pro Bowler | Football News Now
Adam Carriker, one of the few holdovers from a revamped Redskins defense, posted a strong showing in 2011 and an idea from a Redskins media rep nearly landed him in Hawaii.

David Elfin On Sports: What’s Next For Landry? " CBS Washington
The sixth overall selection in the 2007 draft out of LSU, Landry is Washington’s hardest hitter and probably its best athlete, but he missed 15 of the past 23 games because of the Achilles and he’s still ailing. Do the Redskins try to bring him back?

John Beck remains confident, amazing - DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post
The wonder boy of last offseason is on the radio again, and again looking forward to his next opportunity.

Redskins could dip into deep pool of CB's at draft
The Redskins will go to the combine in search of cornerback help. However, they may not go into the draft targeting a CB.

Redskins Tried To Get Adam Carriker Into Pro Bowl " CBS Washington
Adam Carriker didn't make the Pro Bowl, but the Redskins tried to get him there by switching his position on the Pro Bowl ballot.

HomerMcFanboy " please just say no to peyton manning
If there is a defining characteristic of the Washington Redskins during the Daniel Snyder era, it’s that every year the front office talks itself into believing the franchise is close to turning the corner toward respectability which can only mean they’re just one or two moves away from contending with the big boys.

Mike & Mike on Manning-to-Redskins - NFC East Blog - ESPN
On their daily morning ESPN radio show, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, with the help of guest analyst Mark Schlereth, took up the topic of Peyton Mann

The Redskins Blog | McIntosh, Fellow NFL Players Tour Kuwait
Redskins linebacker Rocky McIntosh kicked off the offseason with a trip back to his roots, touring the United States military bases in Kuwait.

Morris Solely Focused On Redskins Job
Even though he’s barely been in Washington a month, Redskins defensive backs coach Raheem Morris has already proven that he’s a man of his word.

A Look At Sammy Baugh’s Bronzed Cleats

John Beck’s path is not filled with roses | ProFootballTalk
All last offseason, we heard that John Beck was Mike Shanahan's guy. Multiple outlets insisted Beck would be the primary starting quarterback in Washington.

Mock Madness 2012: Survey Of Mock Drafts
Think about that for a minute: the NFL Scouting Combine is 10 days away and free agency does not begin until March 13. So much is going to change in the next month, and yet mock draft gurus – and wannabe gurus – already have their predictions in place.

Would Peyton Manning avoid Redskins because of Eli? - DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post
Among the reasons sometimes given for why Peyton Manning would not come to Washington, this one is a total wild card: would he prefer to stay out of Eli Manning’s division?

Both sides of Manning debate can find plenty of support - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins
Some Redskins fans are strongly in favor of the team bringing in Peyton Manning to play quarterback and others are just as fervently opposed to the idea.

NFL Executive of the years Baalke a former Redskins scout

How Redskins can beat the cap

Mike Shanahan will be able to add salary cap dollars to the Redskins just by getting Dan Snyder to sign a letter.

Feb. 12, 1937: NFL Approves Redskins Move to D.C. | Redskin Historian

Randy Moss Announces He'd Like To Play Football Again In Saddest Videoconference Ever

Football's chattering classes today have been busy dissecting Randy Moss's decision to (try to) return to the NFL at age 35. Moss has been away from the game for a year and a half, and all of the questions about him will certainly get answered in due time. The more pressing matter, though, might be the way in which Moss let the world know he planned to (try to) make a comeback: with a live stream on the Internet that was reportedly seen by just 200 people.

PFF's Top 50 Free Agents | ProFootballFocus.com

The analysis team at PFF offer their list of the NFL's Top 50 free agents.

Ranking the 2012 Free Agents: Quarterbacks | ProFootballFocus.com

With the start of the NFL business season here, Nathan Jahnke ranks the top free agent QB's available for 2012.

Jason Babin says Eagles made the right call keeping Juan Castillo | ProFootballTalk

During the 2011 regular season, Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was widely criticized for the Dream Team's failures, and the "wide nine" alignment he employed was mocked. But there are some strengths of the wide nine, including the way it frees up outside pass rushers.

Remaining 2011 cap space, by team | ProFootballTalk

[Editor's note: With teams now able to carry over their excess cap space from one year to the next, here's a look at each team's remaining 2011 cap space, as of February 12, 2012.]

We’ll see how Brandon Jacobs’ football skills translate to the squared circle | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports

Following in the legendary footsteps of Adam "Pacman" Jones, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs will be in a TNA wrestling ring Monday night.

The NFL’s endless autumn - The League - The Washington Post

In the NFL, guts and grit spill across the gridiron from September through January, but human drama and analysis drive the action from February through August.

NFL Free Agent Profile: Stephen Tulloch

2012-02-13T21:48:13Z

On last weeks podcast teaser, I played a clip of Parks screwing up and calling Perry Riley, Riley Perry. However, the point he was attempting to make was a valid one (never thought I'd say that about Parks...) about the situation at inside linebacker. At this point, London Fletcher is due to become a free agent, leaving Riley and Keyaron Fox as the starting inside linebackers. Now it's assumed that Fletcher will be back, I can't see a situation where he's not playing in the burgundy and gold next year, but he can't play forever. We all are hopeful that Riley can develop into his replacement. But even if he does, that still leaves a hole in the defense, with our defense having two inside linebackers. Parks suggested a couple of names, the most likely of which was Stephen Tulloch, so I thought I'd profile him.

At 5'11", 240 pounds, the 27 year-old Tulloch is similar in size to Fletcher. Some may believe this is too small for the 3-4 defense, but Fletcher proved that height doesn't matter if you can play. Tulloch racked up 111 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions during the regular season, and followed that up with 15 combined tackles, two passes defended and a forced fumble in the playoff defeat to Saints.

I could sit here and show you a load of pictures of him stuffing the run, but instead I'm going to focus on his coverage ability. Coverage is a very underrated aspect in linebackers, particularly inside linebackers. Think about it, how many times do you hear talk about tight ends like Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and even our own Fred Davis creating mis-matches because linebackers can't cover them. Now if you have a linebacker that can keep up with those guys and cover them, surely he's a valuable asset? The Lions liked to utilize the ability of their front four pass-rushers, and therefore asked Tulloch to drop back into coverage a lot.

Film breakdown after the jump...

In this red zone situation, Tulloch is in man coverage with the fullback of the Cowboys.

Quick pressure forces Romo to check down to the fullback. This is exactly the kind of play where a fullback can come under the radar and get a touchdown.

But Tulloch is right there and chases him down for a minimal gain, forcing third and goal.

Covering a fullback out of the backfield isn't something that's going to make teams go out and get him. Let's see how he does when he drops into a zone against Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

Witten enters Tulloch's zone in the middle of the field.

Knowing he has no safety help in the middle of the field, Tulloch opens his hips and runs with Witten.

Tulloch then jumps underneath the route and gets his finger tips to the ball. He juggles it, but eventually comes down with it for the interception.

We move on from the Dallas game to Carolina. The Lions are holding onto a lead late in the game, and Tulloch makes two big plays that give his team the win. Here's the first.

Here you see Tulloch covering a zone in the middle of the field. One of the Panthers receivers is running a post route in behind Tulloch's zone.

Tulloch watches Newton's throw all the way and makes a break for the ball. He manages to get a finger tip deflection on it.

But that tip is enough to take it off the path of the receiver, and into the hands of the safety for the interception.

The Lions went on to score from the resulting possession, but the game wasn't fully wrapped up then. The Panthers still had a minute on the clock.

Tulloch again drops into a zone in the middle of the field.

As Newton releases the ball, Tulloch makes a break on the ball.

Tulloch undercuts the route and this time gets the interception himself. This killed any hopes of a comeback for the Panthers and sealed the win for the Lions. Two big plays in key situations.

But of course it's not all about coverage. In the 3-4 defense, Tulloch would also be asked to blitz on occasion.

Back to the Dallas game, Tulloch is blitzing up the middle on 3rd down.

He presence up the middle forces Romo to look to his hot read out of the backfield, rather than check the middle of the field for the open receiver.

Then, just because we all love to see it, Tulloch delivers a big hit to Romo. That's always a plus in my book.

But alas, he doesn't get the sack on that play.

Here we see Tulloch up against one of the harder to bring down quarterbacks in Tim Tebow. The back is going to come across and chop block him.

He gets chopped while Tebow is looking down field for a pass. But Tebow can't find anyone and attempts to break the pocket and scramble.

Tulloch manages to stay in the play and makes an extra effort to get back up and bring down Tebow, which he does successfully.

So what do you guys think? Am I overrating his coverage ability and linebackers in coverage in general? I think Tulloch would add something to this defense that we don't have already. Put him alongside Fletcher and drop Riley back to the third inside linebacker on the depth chart would provide good solid depth, and would help us transition once Fletcher does decide to pack it in. Tulloch fits in the mold of free agents we signed last year. He's relatively young, not a particularly flashy signing and won't cost a great deal. But he would provide a solid starter and add to an already formidable front seven.

2012 Redskins Free Agents, Who Should Stay?

2012-02-13T19:32:35Z

The Redskins are knee deep in rebuild mud, and extra weight may drag them down.

Mike Shanahan and Company have been assessing their options at all positions for Free Agency and the highly awaited 2012 NFL Draft. More than likely every one of the Redskins Free Agents have come up in a conversation involving their potential retention or release. I'll go through some of the Redskins players currently slotted to enter Free Agency this March.

Let's start this off with a bang, er. smoke.....

Fred Davis: Davis was on a career run this season. Before his suspension he had accumulated 59 receptions for 796 yards. In theory, he could have been the Redskins' leading receiver, with Gaffney compiling only 947 yards with 68 receptions. His off-field activities landed him a 4-game suspension and scorn from fans all over the DC Metro area. According to recent 'intelligence', Davis is likely to receive the Franchise Tag. In my opinion, Davis needs to stay. The argument has risen 100-fold for and against him, but that type of high quality play shouldn't be overlooked. He needs to be a Redskin in 2012.

Check out the rest as well as your chance to vote, after the jump...

Here I'll break down the list of Redskins Free Agents Army style, with Alpha being of course the A-team, the guys we need, and Bravo being the B-team, the guys we can get along without. There isn't much room, here, being that there is hardly any REAL depth. But there is definitely SOME room to wiggle a few dollars. There will also be a third list, Charlie, for players who need a certain scenario to pan out for them to stay Redskins, sort of like a 'maybe' list.

Alpha:

Fred Davis, TE: (Above)

London Fletcher, LB: If one player could be considered the heart and soul of the Washington Redskins, it would be the man-in-the-middle, London Fletcher. Though he will be 36 next season, going well against the idea of a rebuild, he cannot be lost. As everybody in Redskins Nation well knows, he led the league in tackles this season, and was so humble about it, almost didn't even make it to the Pro Bowl (For those that don't know, the Pro Bowl is a popularity contest first, talent contest last). I shouldn't even have typed this much, this is a no-brainer.

Tim Hightower, RB: I can hear it now, 'Helu!' or 'Royster!' is echoing from the comments section. I only have one point I need to make, has either sophomore back proven they can handle the workload of a full season? Before Hightower's injury, he was well on his way to a solid season. He needs to stay. Without a running-game, any quarterback we bring in will be unsuccessful. Kyle's offense thrives on play action.

Adam Carriker, DE: Carriker has been relatively solid this year. Jarvis Jenkins will return next season with a head full of steam, and a body recovering from an injury. Throwing Jenkins into the mix right away could be disastrous. Would be better, long term, to keep Carriker around as a stop-gap.

Will Montgomery, C: There is definitely room to improve at center, but Montgomery adds depth at Guard as well. Having someone that can play multiple positions is crucial for this team. Especially, yep you guessed it, when there is virtually no depth.

Bravo:

LaRon Landry, SS: LaRon is pro-bowl talent on the field, and a great bench warmer off of it. He has supported the Redskins in both roles over the last two seasons, playing on 17 games overall. Next season will be another iffy one for him, with his achilles still giving him problems. It's about reliability, here. He needs to go, and open up some money to be used for someone we can count on.

Sean Locklear, OG: The interior line needs some serous work, and I'm not the only one that thinks so. I can easily see the Redskins addressing not one, but multiple facets of this line in either Free Agency, Trades, or the Draft. Locklear can be let go and I wouldn't lose sleep.

Donte Stallworth, WR: I am thinking of all the talent coming onto FA this season at WR, and I can't see a reason to keep Stallworth around. He wasn't the force we thought he was going to be and should clear up a little room with his release.

Charlie:

Rex Grossman, QB: I actually heard your blood pressure rise just then. Let's be honest here, the only reason I would allow, yes allow, Rex Grossman to step on the field in 2012 as a Redskin is if a Rookie is sitting behind him on the bench. If we draft Robert Griffin, kick rocks Rex Grossman.

Phillip Buchanon, DB: The secondary needs to be addressed this offseason. The defensive turnover battle was lost time, and time again. If the Redskins decide to go to FA for a D-back or two (Brandon Carr, anyone?) I would be okay with letting Buchanon go. Otherwise, I will stick with the depth (or lack thereof)

You can find details on all of the Redskins' contracts on my website, here. (Under the Team tab)

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