Redskins Ready to Go

Three games down, one to go.  The Redskins will wrap up their preseason on Wednesday, but we likely got our best view of what the Redskins will look like this season from Saturday’s game against Indianapolis.  Here are my thoughts on what we’ve seen so far:

I remain cautiously optimistic about Robert Griffin III after three performances.  He was not asked to do much against Buffalo, took a step back against Chicago, and looked very sharp against Indianapolis.  Mike Shanahan has declared that he is done for the preseason, so his final stats are 20-31 for 193 yards and two touchdowns.  Perhaps most importantly he has not thrown a single interception.  His arm strength looks as good as advertised as does his speed, though Shanahan has limited his running.  He still has not fully adjusted to the speed of NFL linemen and he has not always looked accurate, but at this point I’m nit-picking.  For a rookie, he looks good.

THERE IS NO QUARTERBACK CONTROVERY.  This came up after the game against Chicago.  Griffin went 5-8 for only 49 yards.  Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, went 18-23 with 264 yards and three touchdowns.  People were a little surprised and a little worried when the Redskins took Cousins in the fourth round of the draft.  What if he played well in the preseason and Griffin did not?  Will this add pressure to the young QB?  No.  A team cannot give up what the Redskins did for Griffin and not give him a chance to prove himself.  Griffin is safe as the starter and will be safe even if he does not dazzle us all like we had hoped.  Cousins, meanwhile, is still third on the depth chart.  It’s good to have him and that he’s playing well, but he’s not a threat to Griffin.  Not yet anyway.

When Shanahan has to sit down with his coaches and finally cut the roster down to 53, his hardest decision will come at wide receiver where everyone has upped their game.  Let’s start with what we know.  Pierre Garcon will be the number one and Santana Moss will move to the slot.  Former Virginia Tech WR Josh Morgan was signed as an FA in the offseason, but his spot was in danger due to injury concerns.  He has played very well in the preseason, however, proving himself to be a dependable option.  Leonard Hankerson has looked lackadaisical at times with only three preseason catches, but he came in high up on the depth chart and I don’t think he’s done anything to jeopardize that.

That leaves only two, possibly three spots for five other players.  New-comers Aldrick Robinson and Dezmon Briscoe have showed both reliable hands and playmaking abilities.  They have both played extremely well.  Anthony Armstrong just cannot stay healthy and has only a single catch.  He has not shown enough in his career here for the coaches to give him another shot over either Robinson or Briscoe.  I think he’s gone.  Same goes for Terrence Austin.  There was a chance for him if he could establish himself more as a return man, but he has been unable to do so and his WR play has not generated excitement the way the others have.

Perhaps the most controversial decision will be over Brandon Banks.  Shanahan made it clear he needed to make the roster as a WR this year, but he caught only two passes against Buffalo while being targeted nine times.  He simply does not have the height to compete as an NFL WR.  This has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff, who have not given him significant playing time at WR since that first game.  They are also exploring other players as kick returners including Santana Moss.  Banks won’t make it as a WR and Shanahan is trying to find someone else to return kicks.  The problem is that no one has come close.  Banks won’t make this team if Shanahan keeps only six receivers.  If he keeps seven, Banks will take that last spot.

Not sure exactly where fan-favorite Chris Cooley stands.  Right now he’s behind Fred Davis and Niles Paul on the depth chart, who was moved from WR to tight end.  Everyone knows how good Davis can be, but Paul has looked inconsistent.  He’s had some big drops, but that is not unusual for new tight ends who sometimes find catching more difficult with the constant blocking that comes with the position.

The possibility of a year-long suspension still hangs heavy over Davis.  One more failed drug test, and he’s out.  Cooley is also listed on the depth chart at fullback as well as TE.  I think he makes the team, but he won’t see much of the field.

A real Jekyll and Hyde performance so far by the offensive line, who allowed zero sacks in Buffalo, got shredded by Chicago, and looked ok against Indianapolis.  This will quietly be one of the more important storylines for the Redskins as the front five are now tasked with protecting the team’s franchise QB.  When you look at all other offensive positions, the line is the biggest weakness.  This offense will only be as good as the line.  I will be surprised if Griffin starts 16 games this season because I think he is going to take too many hits to stay healthy.  The worst thing about it is that with few draft picks and a salary cap penalty, I don’t think the line will get better for another two years.

The running back position, thought to be a weakness, now looks like it could be a potential strength with four players shouldering the load.  The Redskins looked like they were in trouble with injuries to Evan Royster and Roy Helu Jr.  With Tim Hightower returning from ACL surgery, it seemed he was not a dependable option.  Enter Alfred Morris, the preseason star who has caught everyone’s eye with his powerful running style.  This guy just does not go down behind the line.  While Royster, Helu, and Hightower are all question marks, if you can go into the season with four reliable backs, suddenly you are reducing the workload of everyone.  If Hightower goes down one week, you can spread the carries around Royster, Helu and Morris.  If Helu gets injured, you can go back to Hightower.  Before it looked like each guy had to prove himself capable of making this roster.  Now, I don’t think the Redskins can risk cutting any of the four.

The Redskins will struggle to defend the pass this season.  Jay Cutler tore the secondary apart for 122 yards.  When he had time, Andrew Luck was also able to embarrass the Redskins.  He finished with 151 yards and a touchdown.  Shanahan experimented somewhat by playing DeAngelo Hall at safety.  Maybe he does not think Hall can play corner anymore, or he desperately needs someone else at safety, but either way it’s not a good sign.  Brandon Meriweather should be back for the start of the season and Tanard Jackson was really impressive against the Colts, but otherwise this is a thin secondary.  It looks like the Redskins’ best option to defend the pass this season will be to pressure the quarterback.

Speaking of pressuring the quarterback, the Redskins look deep at both defensive line and linebacker.  The season-ending injury to Chris Neild is a blow, but not a major one and they seemed to play well against Indianapolis without him.  Jarvis Jenkins looks to be as good as advertised in his first year of action.  Brian Orakpo is expected to be fine for the season opener, and even without him the Redskins’ linebackers harassed Luck all night.  Teams are going to be faced with the daunting task of somehow blocking both Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan.  Depending on how good the secondary can play, this defense may be ready to take the next step.

One preseason game to go, but it will be mostly tryouts among the backups to make the final 53.  It’s time to start the countdown to September 9 and New Orleans!

ACC’s Football Future in Jeopardy?

For the past few years, the college football landscape has changed dramatically as schools continually realign in an attempt to secure their program’s future.  Schools abandoned their traditional conferences and heralded rivalries with a look to the future.  Now we are left with the daunting task of sorting through all the changes and what they will ultimately mean.  Amid the chaos, the ACC seemed to be in a good position.  Syracuse and Pittsburgh decided to leave the Big East for the ACC, then the league stood pat, seemingly above the chaos, satisfied by their 14 members.  The recent agreement between the SEC and the Big 12 to match their champions in an annual bowl, however, is a clear sign that the ACC’s future as a major football conference remains very much in doubt.

In the BCS era, six conferences were given automatic bids into the BCS games.  The conference champions of the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 10, and SEC were all guaranteed to receive a bid to one of the five BCS bowls.  Now that college football appears to finally be headed towards a playoff system, it is unclear what the BCS bowl games will mean.  By agreeing to a bowl matchup with one another similar to the relationship we currently see between the Big 10 and Pac 10 regarding the Rose Bowl, the SEC and Big 12 have cemented a relationship between two of the major conferences in the nation.  The implication is that the top four conferences have distinguished themselves and turned their backs on the weaker ACC and Big East.

Conference realignment and the end of the BCS system is a turning point for the ACC.  The league has long been criticized as weak with a 2-13 record in BCS bowl games.  The new playoff system is expected to be a four team format and in the past 5 years only one ACC team would have qualified, Virginia Tech in 2007.  The ACC must get better if it is to compete nationally or its best teams could leave.

Just last week, there were rumors floating that perhaps Florida State was seeking to leave for the Big 12.  While Florida State shot down those rumors, it did show the precarious position in which the ACC now finds itself.  With little prestige to speak of, should one of the ACC powers decide to leave it could start a mass exodus.  Should Florida State leave, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Clemson could all seek to leave as well or other conferences could attempt to lure them away.  The ACC cannot afford to lose its few prominent teams or it may be forced to seek out other unlikely teams like the Big East did in their talks with TCU, Boise State, and Houston.

Should the ACC respond to these other matchups with a Big East Bowl matchup?  That would not really help anything.  In fact, it would probably cement the perception that both conferences are second-tier.  One other possibility for the ACC is that they could attempt to woo Notre Dame.  Notre Dame of course is one of the most storied programs in the nation.  They have for years scorned all attempts to bring them into a conference, but previously there was no need for them to join a conference with their special relationship with the BCS.  That status, however, is now in jeopardy.  Should the playoff format require each of the top four teams to be conference champions as some have suggested, where would that leave Notre Dame?  If they must seek a conference, the ACC would be a distinct possibility.  The Notre Dame program is extremely profitable and the school is reluctant to share that money among conference members.  The ACC does not have a revenue sharing agreement which would allow Notre Dame to keep its money even with its conference affiliation.

For those of you dreaming of a rekindling of the “Catholics and Convicts” rivalry between Notre Dame and Miami, don’t reserve your tickets just yet.  This is a long-shot.  Even if Notre Dame is not the Notre Dame of old, a playoff format without some sort of special provision for them is almost inconceivable.  They will not join a conference unless they absolutely have to and it is unlikely that they ever will.

For now, the ACC is best served to remain where they stand and see what happens with the new playoff system.  To try and build around a playoff system that has not even been finalized yet is putting the cart before the horse.  Syracuse and Pittsburgh have yet to make their ACC debut, both may thrive in the new conference.  The new agreement between the Big 12 and SEC is not necessarily cause for panic, it only confirms what we already knew.  Right now, the ACC is second tier.  With two new teams and a new playoff system, the ACC may find a new identity and finally establish itself as a major conference.  If not, they may have to seek other teams to bridge the gap.