#Redskins Top 10: Collusion Suit

So if this collusion suit thing goes through, and the Skins get back the $35 million that they are owed by the NFL, here's my list of the top 10 things to happen should they get it back:


10. Get Darrel Young a backup.
Not that he doesn't play great, because he does. But with these injuries, you just never ever know.

9. Find a couple big men to block for kicks on special teams.
When Trent Williams went down, we saw just how big a hole he left not only on the offensive line, but on special teams. People blamed Graham Gano for the blocks... hits on the kicker... Gano can't be the blame for all of that. They have to protect him just like the quarterback. They have to make a clean path for him to get the football to through the goal post 50 yards down field. They have to get  better on the line for special teams if they intend to win.
8. Find a full time understudy for London Fletcher so the One Man Gang can return to his own devices.
There is no telling when Mr. Fletcher will call it quits. One thing is for certain, it will definitely be on his own watch. In the event he's ready to hang up his cleats for the very last time, someone has to be in place who has had the opportunity to shadow Fletch for some time and can fill his shoes (at least on the field anyway).

7. Bring in a strong safety at least 6'3" who has no history of hamstring or Achillies injuries.
It's not even necessary to explain the void a healthy LaRon Landry has left on this team (even when he was here). The tenacious force in the middle of the field that was fast enough to be anywhere and hit harder than anyone on the roster... those are big shoes to fill. But someone needs to fill those shoes for 16 games... not a handful. These smaller guys who aren't as fast and don't hit as hard aren't as effective on these mammoth tight ends and wideouts.

6. Refer to #3.

5. Give London Fletcher a REAL contract.
Ok, so we already have the quarterback that lured him back into uniform, but not paying the man for all he's done for this organization is just not fair. It's not everyday you come across a timeless talent like this. Still, to lead the league in tackles time after time while pushing 40... gotta give the man the respect (and contract) he has earned. He will probably only play for another year (maybe two), but you can guarantee he'll give 110% every single snap.

4. Get a legitimate backup for Trent Williams.
We all saw what happened when he went down for nearly half the season. This team was second in the league in most sacks/hits on the QB behind St. Louis. You think Shanford and Son will allow their prized quarterback to become the next victim in burgundy and gold to be trampled from the blind side by a defensive end charging at the pocket like its lunch? If Trent goes down with injury (or God forbid rolls another "j"), Griffin will likely be screwed.

3. Find another right tackle worth starting for 16 games.
They can't realistically be satisfied with Jammal Brown. And until we know what these rookie offensive linemen can do, Brown and other second string guys are all we have. There is no legitimate starting right tackle on this team. Remember what happened when DeMarcus Ware switched up in the fourth quarter of the first game last year vs. the Skins and Brown got eaten alive for 15 minutes? Uh huh. Yeah. Let's improve here, coach.



2. Go buy a shut-down corner.
And when I say buy one, I mean it. There isn't one readily available, so it will take some duckets to get one. DeAngelo Hall is a great player, but he thrives off of someone taking other guys out of the game for 60 minutes. He has plenty to thank Carlos Rogers for in the year he made his most recent pro-bowl appearance. There simply isn't a shut down corner on this team. 




1. Refer to #3.
Really can't stress that point enough. There's too much of an investment taking snaps to allow him to be clobbered by guys because there's no one blocking. If this money comes back to the budget, there is no reason whatsoever why they can't find the means to protect No. 10.


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#Redskins O-Line: The Bli-- Open Side???

A lot of the work from the draft went into snagging arguably the best quarterback in the pool -- Robert Griffin, III. So we expected that with this selection, surely Brucey would wheel and deal for more protection. We knew it really couldn't happen too much in the draft. But nothing really happened in free agency either.

Yes, last year the focus was fixing the defense. And they're not all there either. There's a gaping hole in the secondary. With no smothering corner like the guy Shanford and Son allowed to slip away to go out west, most of the responsibility to take a receiver out of the game shifted on to DeAngelo Hall. That experiment didn't exactly work out. He's not a bad player, but he's not the type of player to smother someone and make their stats irrelevant. Neither is Josh Wilson or Kevin Barnes. They all thrive off of that "guy" who can make a wideout disappear.

If that's not a big enough problem, there's always the offensive line (heck, it's been an issue for the last two decades). Trent Williams is back, vowing to "do better." Hope he holds that promise, we sure do need him. Kory Lichtensteiger is back and healthy, which is great news. No one really realized how important he was until he went down (which seems to be a trend with all of Washington sports... don't know what you got till it's gone, right?). Will Montgomery signed a new contract to get him back on the squad. So you can pretty much say with confidence that the guy making snaps and the blind side is covered. But what about the "open" side (is that what it's called)?

All of our quarterbacks are right handed guys which means if (or when) the guys on the right side get blown by or trucked, all three of them will be in a position to look directly at these monster defensive ends barreling down on them at full speed. Chester will be back... and familiarity is good, but is Big Mo Hurt a better guard? And let's not get started on Jammal Brown. Yes, once upon a time he was a pro-bowler, but the past few years have been flooded with one injury after another.

Sidebar: Why does it seem like guys are healthy and prosperous until they get here, then they stay hurt??? (I guess that's another blog for me to write)

Point is, there's a ton of uncertainty on that right side. Maybe that's why Pop Shanford deemed RGIII the starter. We all know that Rex isn't a big time scrambler. And when he does, he pretty much never makes a good decision with the ball. Let's hope with these guys drafted that some real depth is brought to this group of men paid to protect the guy we bet the farm for. Lord knows, if something happens to No. 10, that front five will NEVER hear the end of it.

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#Redskins' Liability QB Insurance

My car is about five years old and some people wonder why I still pay for full coverage insurance when I can save money and just get liability. Problem is, a lot of people either get liability because it's cheaper or they think that they are great drivers and if something happens it won't be their fault. Thing is, if something does happen and it IS your fault, you still gotta pay your insurance premium AND pay to either repair or replace your vehicle.

Conversely, a lot of people who paid attention to the draft wondered why the Redskins drafted Kirk Cousins after betting the farm on RG3. Especially when they still have Grossman on the roster. The same guy who threw 20 interceptions in 12 games last season (including four in 3/4 of a game vs. Philly). The same guy who came back after being hospitalized with pneumonia and had over a 90% QB rating the very next game. Lots of people thought that Cousins was a waste of a fourth round pick, especially since there weren't that many picks this team had left to begin with.

There are some people though who feel it was a great pick. Some say he's trade bait, some think he is a formidable backup. To have two guys on the team who can grow together... to have another young qb who can fill in for our franchise guy in the event of an injury. Then the question remains: What happens to Rex?

Minutes after Cousins was drafted the news came out about John Beck being cut. Why wasn't Rex?

He HAS been hanging around Kyle Shanahan's playbook for quite some time now. He may not make the best decisions all the time, but he does know/understand the offense. Beck was still learning a lot, and his timidity got the best of him -- he wasn't able to move the ball at all. At least with Grossman you have a partial backup plan -- just be prepared to have a couple of interceptions while the rest of the plan is working.

As useless as Grossman may seem at this point, he's the liability policy being kept on this roster until Griffin and Cousins can carry the load on their own. Rex isn't getting any younger, but the team around him is. And at some point, he will have to hit the dusty trail. But for now, he's the last resort back up plan. Just like car insurance, he's the necessary evil that you have to keep paying because one day, God forbid, you just may need to use him.

Hey, if caterers can have $1M insurance policies, why can't Shanford and Son?


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"Dear Kyle..." A Letter to the Redskins O.C. -- Camp Decisions

"Dear Kyle,

Read the news today... never thought you'd change your mind about me. At least not that quickly. I mean geez, I haven't even started coming to OTAs yet so you can see how I look out there! And I lose my job? I mean what did I do?!

I always have your back, I love your plays -- I learned them all, honest!

I mean is it my arm? The special connection I had with Gaff? (No homo) I can spread the passes around! Remember that one game where Hank had over 100 yds?? Or all the games that got Freddie D over 800 yds before he got suspended. And what about my homeboy Cooooooooley?! Well, besides that injury vs. Philly, I mean he's great! Sure I may have led him right in Asomugha's path, but it was an accident for cryin' out loud!

Ok, so I can work on the picks... yeah I had 20 of them last year. That's no good for anyone, but mistakes happen. You and I both know I was goin' with my gut on every one of those passes. While we're on my gut, I really hope this wasn't a weight issue. Everyone knows that I really dropped off in weight after I got sick. So much for Hefty Rexy. And I still kept you guys in games! I mean, even 'Tana vouched for me last year. How much more respect can you get from the Wideout Corps?!! And what about that monster bomb to AAA last year in Seattle?! Maybe you didn't feel the magic on that one, because this is the thanks I get.

The John Beck experiment lasted long... as long as I had pneumonia! I came back from the hospital and was ballin outta control fresh from intravenous treatment! And you decide to move me, Sexy Rexy, a nine year vet, back on the depth chart behind a scrawny little college kid who never even played in a pro style offense?!! I led Da Bears to a Super Bowl for Pete's sake! What's next, Cousins will be named #2? SMDH.

You know Kyle, we go back. Way back. Like ping pong balls and 16 oz red cups. I'm just mad as beans right now. I hope you can understand. I don't want to end our friendship, I just needed to vent because I'm very, very hurt right now.

I just hope at some point I can win back your trust as the guy at the top of the depth chart.

Your #1 #2 QB (I hope),

Rex

P.S. - Is this your father's idea? We both know he can be as brash as he is stubborn. If he's the reason behind this, then kindly retract this letter from the record."


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