Trumaine Johnson: Next Redskins Project?

With LaRon Landry's health in question from the Achilles injury two years ago that is still giving him problems, it makes you wonder what's next for the Redskins secondary. Carlos Rogers leaving for San Francisco didn't help either. You have to notice the huge void left in that part of the defense. After last year's draft, we can safely say that the front seven is pretty solid. But the back four is an issue. Especially when facing teams with huge receivers and/or oversized tight ends. There's no one on this squad to cover them.

The bigger problem is, since the greatest need is a quarterback in the upcoming draft, you can't really see them drafting a defensive back with that first round pick. Maybe a good idea would be to draft someone in the second or third round  who could be flexible enough to play safety or corner but big and fast enough to cover the Gronkowskis and Dez Bryants of today's NFL.

The only person I can see that could fit that category would be Montana's Trumaine Johnson. Recruited as a wide receiver out of high school, he was asked to convert to corner the second day of practice at UM. Over the past four years, he finishes with 15 interceptions, 11 kick returns for 178 yds (22.3 yds/return average). Not to mention he was selected as an AP FCS First Team All-American this past season. He's probably a bit of a raw talent, but could be worth the pick for the size... 6'3" 210 lbs, running a 4.48 40 yd dash. He could be a guy the Skins could grow into a dominating defensive back.

Not to mention, he could also solve an issue to have that extra wideout on the team. If you check out Johnson's highlights, some of the acrobatic interceptions he makes sparks a thought as to why Montana didn't play him at wide receiver more. A multi-dimensional guy with the size that is becoming more necessary at the DB position... I'd say get him to work on his speed and add a few pounds to that frame, throw in a few games of experience, the investment could pay off in as little as a year.

Write the check, Danny.

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Glasses vs Lasik

I wear glasses (and/or contacts, depending on where I'm going or what I'm doing). I didn't start wearing them on a regular basis until about a few years ago when I took jobs that required me to sit behind a computer every day. I never thought about getting lasik, because my eyes aren't that bad. I only have a -1.5 contact prescription. Nothing too serious. So getting surgery that lasts about 10 years isn't in my radar, I'll just rock the frames or contacts. No big deal. Still winning.

Now if I had the prescription of say, my younger brother, who is about 3x as bad as me, then I would probably call a doctor for that decade long solution. It'd be worth it then. Makes sense, right?

If that is simple enough to understand, then what I don't get is the people who want to lobby for Shanford and Son to bring in Peyton Manning (and possibly Jeff Saturday who contemplated retirement already this season). Manning is owed $28 Million 3 days before free agency starts. So whoever trades for him better have deep pockets. On top of all that, the real question is, how much time does he have left? Because if it's only for a year (two if they're really lucky), he just seems like a really expensive band-aid.

Another scenario: They get him to come to DC, and can't beef up the line because they owe him so much money. What if he takes a hit that ends his career for real and he ends up going to Canton in a wheelchair? Does neck/spine injuries run in this family? His other brother Cooper Manning who also played football ended up in a wheelchair for a while from spinal stenosis. If something like that were to happen, the Skins would be right back where they started... looking for a franchise quarterback. Maybe worse off, if you consider how much money you'd be giving up in the process. Plus, if he goes down, and this team has another dismal record at the end of the year, how will Mike Shanahan explain himself to Dan Snyder? So that means a new coach and new system... again.

Bringing him here seems more like a setback to me. Especially when this team has other needs. They definitely need more depth on the offensive line. Ask the last 10 years of quarterbacks in the burgundy and gold. They need to find a buddy for LaRon Landry in case Dirty 30 isn't 100% next season, there's a huge void at strong safety. They need a shut down corner. They have a playmaker, and solid guys. But no one to blanket someone and take them out of the equation. They could use another backup quarterback. I don't see Beck coming back. They may even need a kicker, after Graham Gano fractured a couple of bones in his back during the last game of the season. Sheesh.

So if I were in the Redskins front office, I'm not looking for a new set of glasses or some fancy contact lenses. I want the long term solution. Enough with the patching. My skin can't take any more bandages. We've tried that several times before, and it hasn't worked. Since we're "rebuilding" (and I use that term both literally and figuratively), I want the lasik. It will last longer.


Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Why The Redskins Need A Franchise Quarterback

The Washington Redskins have not had a franchise quarterback since.... I'm not really sure, to be honest. The past dozen seasons, the position has been quite the undesirable job: registering somewhere around an average of 45 sacks a year (Campbell's last full season I believe there were 62). Since the break up of the gritty group of men known as The Hogs, there really hasn't been much of a front to protect the guy taking snaps or much less block for the guy running the ball either. The offensive line has been a problem since the exit of Gibbs 1.0, but the quarterback position has been a huge question mark in D.C. as well.

Rex Grossman has made a plethora of mistakes here and in Chicago, though he's done a lot of good. He's a high risk high reward type of player, but he's not a "Franchise Quarterback" by a mile. The team trusts him more than John Beck, but even the sometimes sketchy play calling offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, even admitted that they're still looking for their guy.

Could they have had their guy before trading away draft picks to Philly for the last leg of Donovan McNabb? The guy coulda had a shot if they protected him. During his tenure, the best protection he had happened when a 220 lb running back by the name of Clinton Portis (self proclaimed "sixth offensive lineman") was sacrificing himself taking hits for the guy. After he went down with a groin injury, the number of sacks McNabb suffered per game tripled for an average of 30 more lost yards per game. But before McNabb, there was Jason Campbell. A guy who valiantly hung around for 5 years before being notified on the phone by a reporter that his organization had just traded for McNabb (I'd request to leave too after all that). Alas, he didn't have much help on blocking either. After leaving for Oakland, in an interview, he remarked, "Yall still think I'm the problem?"

Before Campbell, there was Todd Collins, Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey, blah, blah blah. It's like someone puts the quarterbacks' names on a wheel at the beginning of the season, takes a spin, and goes with it. Aside from not having a lot of offensive line help, there's no consistency at all at the QB position. So being in a locker room where every year your fearless leader is a different guy can be quite frustrating. Guys lose their jobs due to their performance and then it's on to the next one. Still, no franchise guy.

The Denver Broncos have found their franchise guy. It took poor play from Kyle Orton and demands from the fans to get him in the game, but Tim Tebow is playing lights out right now. He's not the most talented. He probably doesn't have the best footwork. Probably not the fastest. May not have the best "cardiovascular endurance" either. But John Elway has something that Dan Snyder needs. Not another QB from Florida (we've got one of those). But a guy that makes every single person in that locker room believe. The un-teachable something special that makes him and his team play beyond their talent level to succeed when the odds are stacked against them. Is it RG3? Is it Flynn? Who knows. They're both talented. But let's hope and pray Shanford And Son are also looking past a QB rating and a few sick TD passes for that intangible quality that makes a Franchise Quarterback.

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Review: Danny Smith -- The Good, The Bad, The Unacceptable

After this 2011-2012 Season, the main coach on the hotseat is not Mike or even Kyle Shanahan... not Jim Haslett... but special teams coach Danny Smith. There's been a lot of good that has come from him being here, but lately a lot of bad... and worse. Let's take this time to review how things went with him in charge of the special teams unit this season:





The Good
Punting. Sav Rocca has been pretty automatic all season long. At more than one point in the season, he led or was in second place for the most punts downed inside the 20 yard line. Which says a lot about his placement skills, but also a lot about the people working around him.

Place Kicking. There's been a number of mishaps about Graham Gano, some self inflicted. But just analyzing the fair opportunities he had (fair = good blocking/holding), he's done a decent job, beating out kicker after kicker to hold on to his job.

Kick Coverage. If you haven't paid attention to Lorenzo Alexander or Anthony Armstrong flying in your screen on kick returns to make big time tackles, you must be blind. There has been very little of return guys breaking free against this unit on kick returns.

The Bad
Blocking for Banks. Granted, a lot of kickers have begun to "respect" Brandon Banks' abilities and have kicked the ball away from him on several occasions, but the times where the ball goes to him, he hasn't been able to break free once. The guy has a natural instinct for the return man position and unbelievable speed and quickness. But he IS only 150 lbs... maybe. You have to protect the guy. You don't want to see him get creamed in the middle of a return because the blocking scheme doesn't work anymore. Figure something else out.

Banks' Fumbles. Despite the fact that the rest of the unit has to do a better job blocking for him, he has got to do a better job concentrating on the ball during returns. Losing the ball when someone knocks the crap out of you sucks, but is more understandable than fumbling the ball when no one is touching you. Gotta protect the ball better.

The Unacceptable
Kick Blocking. 5 blocked field goals is not acceptable at all... especially when the majority of them were blocked under 30 yards. These are chip shots that are supposed to be automatic. They shouldn't be so easily contested by anyone with half a vertical leap. Now I understand that the offensive line depth has a lot to do with this because the same guys are blocking in for FG's. However, there must be more practice blocking these guys on the kicks. Gano shouldn't have to explain why he didn't knock in an extra point or similar field goal.

Penalties. It's bad enough that your top return guy gets the ball kicked away from him half the time, but when he DOES get the ball, you can't afford the little bit of yards your poor blocking scheme allows him to have revoked by a hold or block in the back. I know these guys are pros, and they should know better when they step out on the field. But when they make the same mistakes over and over again, is anyone saying anything to them? Or maybe it's a situational thing that they need to be coached around. Whatever it is, it's not working. Penalties will not keep your job.

Decision Making. I'm sorry, but that short kick at the end of the Dallas game was absolutely unacceptable. Mike Shanahan had to ask around why the ball was kicked so short then finds out that it was Smith's idea. Turned out to be a 30 some yard return that landed in Washington territory when the team was in a position to beat the Cowchicks at FedEx Field when the game was on the line. You just CAN'T do stuff like that and expect to keep your family photo on a desk in Ashburn.

All that being said, peace out Mr. Smith. It's been real.



Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe