"Dear Randy" -- From The Desk of Phillip

"Ran,

Just thought I'd drop you a line or two to see how things have been going. How are you feeling? Is your hair falling out yet? Sorry, didn't mean to be so direct. Well... is it? I've enrolled myself in one of those hair club thingies since leaving town, hope it kicks in before the summer! As for my personal life, my stress levels have never been lower! Been spending less time at the bar sulking and more time on the beach having a Mai Thai (did I tell you about my severance package??? It's a-mazing. America is a wonderful country).

Just got through watching my DVR of the Rising Stars game... Bravo John Wall! That kid is something special. What's the deal with Dray though? Is he making excuses about why he can't come back yet? I swear its been 6 weeks. Doesn't surprise me. I see you haven't quite gotten them to work on the turnovers and rebounding either. I swear I tried. I guess walking out in the middle of practice wasn't the best indicator to "do better" to a bunch of 20 year old kids. I thought maybe doing that or picking on them a bit in press conferences every other day would get the message across, but I ended up on the street. Oh well... at least I have my severance package!

Haven't figured out JaVale yet I see... his mom seems to have some ideas... I'll leave that alone.

Has Ted started knocking on your door to talk to you about "progress?" If he hasn't, don't worry, its coming. They're "responding" to you right now, let's see how they respond later on in the year. They always start off looking like the owner did the right thing, then later on, they fall off the face of the eastern conference.

Well, hope you have better luck after the All-Star Break. Back to the beach for me!

Later,

Flip

P.S. - Is it me or did JaVale get robbed from the dunk contest two years in a row? Oh well, good luck explaining THAT to the media... haa!!! Back to my Mai Thai...."

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Dear Kyle" A Letter to the Redskins O.C. - Offseason Confessions Pt. 2

"Dear Kyle,

Hey buddy! Hope your offseason is going well. Mine is going swell! I did miss you at my Super Bowl Party. I heard some rumor that you and your dad went out for drinks at some bar in Leesburg and you guys took shots everytime one of my former teammates did something good.... must have been a long night!

Well, the draft combine starts this weekend, should be pretty exciting. There's a lot of great offensive linemen in this draft to use that number 6 pick on. Or even if you wanted to go with Trent Richardson or Blackmon... still a solid choice! Even that Dre Kirkpatrick kid would be a great addition to our secondary with the sketchy condition of our safeties... I can dig it. :-)

So... I hear you guys will be meeting with Griffin on Saturday... you gonna pick up some tricks for me to use next year out of Baylor's playbook? Not that your playbook needs improvement, you've got the best arsenal of plays in the whole NFL! Every team should be jealous... I just know they are! That's all we really need... Griffin, Luck, Tannehill... those guys don't have the guts that I have. Plus, the whole squad is already behind me. You saw how they reacted when you started John. Fans weren't happy!

Well, I've been getting in some workouts this offseason, you know, just trying to keep my armstrength up. Nothing too serious yet. I'll start my serious cardio regiment in April with everyone else. Doing that much running this soon just doesn't work for me. As a matter of fact, I think that's when I'll start lifting weights too. May even start swimming then too. The playbook? I already know that stuff. Can't you tell?!

Well, I'd invite you to my draft party to see who you pick up (BYOB again) but I know you and your dad will be pretty busy. I hope to hear from Bruce on March 13... I'll be waiting attentively by my phone!

Hail to the Rexskins... Redskins!!! (Why do I keep doing that?! Force of habit!!)

Talk to you soon,
Rex

P.S. - When I come back, do you think we could talk to the equipment manager about loosening up my shoulder pads? The straps were really tight across my chest last season. Thanks buddy!"

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Where Jason Campbell Could End Up

Former Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell has been in the news more recently for issues with his personal life, but let’s not forget his professional career: He’s a free agent. The bigger question is where will he end up this spring for training camp. A lot of teams could use someone with his talent.

The obvious first choice is Oakland but the idea is kind of sketchy after last year’s transactions. Acquiring Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft, then trading two picks for a retired Carson Palmer just screams sketchy to me. To think they would extend themselves for JC after going all out for Palmer and not even give Pryor a chance just doesn’t seem like it will happen.

Indy? Don’t think so. You never know what Irsay is thinking though. I think they have their own QB issues though. And having the first pick in the draft doesn’t really warrant a reason to go after Jason, either.

Cleveland… Wouldn’t put it past them. They already expressed that they’re not sold on Colt McCoy, and Holmgren loves RG3. Will he trade up and get Griffin? No one knows yet. Would he go after Campbell in free agency? Why not. Not like they couldn’t use a guy of his caliber in a Browns uniform.

Cowchicks… Now I wouldn’t put it past them either. After reports coming out that they intend to interview Griffin at the combine, makes me think that I don’t know if they plan on drafting a quarterback, but they’re at least considering adding one to the team. I’d start Campbell over either guy on that team. Plus, he’s got a bit of ammo to sign the contract there after how things ended up in Washington. Who wouldn’t want an oopportunity to get revenge against the team who dumped them two times a year? I don’t want to see him in that uniform, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he ended up there.

Kansas City… A team he torched a number of times already. A team who has been going through their own quarterback shuffle. What have they got to lose? Plus, Zornado would probably be over the moon to have a chance to work witih JC again. It may not be that far fetched.

Miami… This wouldn’t surprise me either. They have been going through a bit of their own issues at that position. They’ve made it pretty clear they’re looking to draft someone too, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a proven guy on the roster who can get the ball to Brandon Marshall 40 yards downfield faster than you can call the play. It’s an idea worth entertaining.

Ok, ok, Washington…. heck no. I think Jason loves the DC area, but I seriously belive he would not play for this team again as long as Shanford and Son are in charge of things. These are the same people who came into town, day 1 said that he was their starter, then day 3 traded two picks for McNabb and let Campbell find out via a phone call from a reporter. I’d love to have him back, but don’t think it will happen folks. Seriously.

While no one really knows where he will end up, it sure will be interesting to see who courts him come March 13. I’ll be looking out to see what happens next for the kid from Mis’sippi.

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Redskins Next Most Important Need

I think I can safely say that all of Redskins Nation is in agreement that the biggest, most important need at the moment is addressing the quarterback situation. We all know that this is not the only need this team has to rectify if the organization is to return to the glory it once had. Outside of that, the opinions swirl around a bit. Its usually a mixture of wide receiver woes, holes in the offensive line, or other issues.

Could the lack of training camp last year been the reason why people feel this team is lacking at wide receiver? Could Big Bank Hank have just needed some time and reps to evolve into the receiver we were hoping for before the hip injury? Hopefully he will come back 100% in the spring and show everyone why Mike and Bruce drafted him last spring. We also hope that things are good with Freddy-D and and Captain Chaos to take the pressure off of the Wide Out Corps. The other question is will Mike and Kyle want to keep 13 guys on the roster again? Who knows.

Then there's the issues with the offensive line. This team is very deficient in tackles. They've got 3 guys who can play center, a bunch of interior linemen, and Trent Williams at LT. But guys get hurt and there's no telling if there's really a guy who can step in and start at that position should he go down again. Jammal Brown came back this year after having the surgery on his knee, but was once again plagued by injury for a big chunk of the season. It took two years for Shanahan to actually admit that there is a lack of depth with the offensive linemen. Let's be real... these are not The Hogs, folks.

On special teams, we're not really sure what is going on. A lot of people want to blame Brandon Banks for not getting into the end zone more or Graham Gano for not making more kicks. But it IS a team effort. There is a certain amount of individual merit that goes into anything these guys do, but it takes people blocking for Brandon and a group of guys who will block vicious defenses trying to block every kick and extra point. We'll see what coach Danny Smith comes up with this fall.

And what about the secondary? Ever since the departure of Carlos Rogers, there's been a void that has been felt in the backfield. Yes when he was here he had "issues" catching balls that hit him in the numbers... but, he did a good job taking guys out of the game, freeing up someone like DeAngelo Hall to be the playmaker he is. Now with these receivers getting bigger, and tight ends getting even bigger than that, having someone who can cover them is an issue. This team does not have a shut down corner, and has health issues at saftety. DeJon Gomes did a fairly good job stepping in at safety, but his size created a mismatch problem with guys like Gronkowski and Witten (just saying). Hopefully Dirty 30 comes back healthy and stays that way all season, but there's no way of knowing that for sure. But there's obviously a problem out here that needs fixing.

I guess the biggest question is, what does the organization view as its second most important need... I guess we shall see in free agency and the draft. Hopefully they have a formula that will work. If not, the Shanford and Son experiment may be officially over. Don't think Danny can take another 5-11 or 6-10 season.

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Why The Redskins Would Franchise Freddy-D

A lot of people have mixed reviews on the new buzz (no pun intended) about the Redskins franchising TE Fred Davis. Some people think that he doesn't deserve it, some think it's a good idea... I think there's a number of ways to view it. Walk with me, if you will.

The Redskins Are Protecting Themselves

Franchising someone means that other teams cannot sign him. Which would probably be a really good thing for this organization. I mean, we all know how our draft picks fare after leaving here. Ask Carlos Rogers how his first year abroad went. Mike and Bruce would be at some bar in Leesburg drowning their sorrows in a bottle of scotch if they allowed Davis to leave and he goes on to have a career year and spends time in Hawaii on top of that (I wouldn't be surprised if they did that this year when 'Los made it). Think about HOW they got rid of Albert Haynesworth. They didn't just cut him. And they didn't just trade him either. They traded him to an AFC team that couldn't really hurt this team. They're not fighting with the Pats for a playoff spot at the end of the day. But they are fighting with the Eagles (someplace he already expressed interest in being), other division rivals or other NFC teams. It was smart. Bruce Allen should have been sent a basket of fruit and cheese for it.

The Redskins Are Desperate

This offense hasn't been explosive for a while now. Half of the reason for that is lack of a franchise quarterback. The other half is the inconsistency of the rest of the players on offense. Cooley was severely hurt last season. There's no argument about how thin this team was at the tight end position. Here's to hoping Cooley comes back better than ever, but we hoped the same thing about LaRon Landry last year, and it simply did not happen (could happen for a third season with him not getting his Achillies surgically repaired). Bottom line is, despite his mistake, they would be really foolish to allow him to get away. They cannot afford to lose a talent like Davis.

The Redskins Are Putting Pressure On Davis

Mike Shanahan made it clear at the end of last season that he really believes in Fred. His comments about how he really believes that he made a mistake and fully expects him to be re-signed showed then that he wanted him back. Maybe the idea behind franchising him puts a certain amount of pressure on him. It could cause him to really see how much he means to this organization and how much they're risking to keep him here. He would have to know that he needs to be stellar and clean to live up to what they're doing for him. After putting yourself in a position to be suspended for a year, this is a lot of pressure to be franchised. Maybe that's what Mike Shanahan wants. The same sink or swim mentality he carried over here from Denver. Maybe he wants him to realize that Dan Snyder is betting the farm on his success and to really see how much he'd be losing if he were to throw it all away for a buzz. Yep, that sounds like Shanny.

We'll probably never know the real reason why this was done until the contract has been signed, but regardless, it does make you wonder.

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

Redskins Analysis: How To Beat A Champ

Since this game has been over, I've bounced between three different ideas/explanations of how the Redskins beat the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants twice, but could not beat the NFC best record 49ers (who the Giants beat in the conference championship) or the New England Patriots (AFC champs). The New England game was close... but no cigar. The Niners game wasn't even a contest.

One thought I had was that maybe it was just the sheer will and drive of the players in the game. Could the Pats and Niners just have wanted it more than the Skins in those matchups? It's possible. The Pats game came down to the final quarter and mistakes separated the Skins from them. Against San Fran, The defense played well, but the offense just couldn't seem to get the ball rolling. There were tons of mistakes in that game. Then against the G-men, the momentum ball started rolling early and they never let up. The "Any Given Sunday" factor still seems like a viable option.

Another thought was maybe the teams just matched up better against the Giants than they did the Pats or the Niners. San Fran has a great defense that stifled the Skins offense for most fo the game. The defense played them pretty well but the offense just couldn't get it going. Later in the season, the Patriots, carrying the worst statistical defense in the NFL, probably matched up pretty well in this game. Washington could have gotten some calls from the refs that could have changed the game, but in the end, they just didn't put enough points ont the board. The Giants really didn't have an aswer for the Skins. They were outmatched/outplaed.

Last theory, was it the coaching? Could it have been that the first two theories really stemmed from Mike and Kyle Shanahan being outsmarted in the 4th qurter? With basically the same personnel on all four teams were the same (or about the same), logic says that the Skins should beat them all. Of course, this wasn't the case. So maybe the Harbaugh and Belichick just really won a chess match that Shianford and Son may not have not been prepared to fight. Again, another viable reason.

No one really knows the answer for that. So I'll leave you with this a better question people want answers to this morning: Why wasn't Mario Manningham the MVP?

Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe

"Dear Kyle" A Letter to the Redskins O.C. - Offseason Confessions Pt. 1

"Dear Kyle,

Hey there! I hope your off season is going as swell as mine. Not too long ago I was at a fundraiser at a bowling alley and ran into Gio Gonzalez... judging by his twitter page, he seems to be behind the team! HTTR! Oh, and that photo that surfaced... don't mind the drink I'm holding... I promise I won't come back with a gut this spring. I'll get it together!!

Anyway, I really wanted to kind of express my concerns about the team. We made a lot of progressions last year and I feel like our squad is moving in the right direction. I meant what I said about no one wanted to face us last year... so what if we were 5-11. We made progress that you can't pick up on a stat sheet! I think once our wideouts get healthy they're going to be a pretty tough bunch to beat!! Our defense really stepped it up last season. Sidebar: What's going on with London and LaRon? From what I hear, neither has a contract and the other won't have surgery for the second year in a row... what's that about?!

Well, I'm not sure what your plans are for free agency, but I know we're set at quarterback! John and I, we got this. Who needs Peyton, Andrew or the Griffin kid?! Hell, I'm the original RG3, baby!!!!

Have you spoken with Graham? I heard he fractured some bones in his back on the last game of the season and I'm not sure if he's okay. Maybe that's an area to address in free agency. Here's an area to address... the offensive line. We had 41 sacks this year... and 108 hits on the QB (3rd worst in the league). That's pretty bad. If you want me to throw it deep, we gotta work on that pass protection!

Anyway, I've got some things around the house to get ready for my Super Bowl party this weekend. I sent you an E-vite, I hope you can make it!

Hail to the Rexskins Redskins!!!!

Signed,

Rex

P.S. - If you DO decide to drop by, don't worry, I've got a 6-pack waiting on ya, buddy. Everyone else... BYOB!! Now to find those ping pong balls and big red cups... ha!"


Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe