HEADLINES

Robert Griffin III

Redskins Notes: Griffin, Riley, Paulsen

July 5th, 2014 at 1:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Redskins’ success in 2014 will be based on what version of their star quarterback shows up, writes Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. Steinberg believes that if Robert Griffin III gives a performance resembling his 2012, then the team will be a contender. If he plays the way he did last year, the team would likely fall out of contention early. Redskins’ offensive coordinator Sean McVay believes Griffin will be as good as he was as a rookie two years ago. “I don’t think there’s any question: he looks explosive,” said McVay.  “He looks like he is exactly what he was in the 2012 season. I think people underestimate when you have a brace on your knee how much that truly restricts you….So I think being able to take that off, he looks extremely explosive.”

Here are some other notes from the Redskins offseason:

  • The Redskins will have to make some interesting roster decisions come August, and John Keim of ESPN.com takes a few guesses as to what they will do. He predicts the secondary starters to be DeAngelo Hall and David Amerson at corner, with Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather at safety. Keim also sees it likely that the team will keep four running backs and one fullback on the roster.
  • Despite a down 2013, inside linebacker Perry Riley has something to prove going forward, writes Keim. Keim writes that he needs to improve his zone coverage, and continue to be stout but more consistent against the run.
  • Although Logan Paulsen sympathizes with his fellow tight end Jimmy Graham, he wants to be very clear that fair or unfair, he believes Graham is indeed a tight end, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.He likens the Saints’ star to his teammate Jordan Reed. He says that while both are playmakers and deserve to be paid for their production, Reed still attends tight end meetings, practices with tight ends, and lines up in place of the tight end in most formations.

Redskins Notes: Orakpo, Gruden, Griffin

July 4th, 2014 at 9:26am CST by Rob DiRe

Brian Orakpo will play the upcoming season on a franchise tag, as he auditions for a big payday next offseason. Orakpo has only hit double-digit sacks twice in his career thus far, but could have the opportunity to out up being numbers while being “turned loose” on defense, writes Keith McMillan of the Washington Post. New defensive coordinator Jim Haslett used that phrase to describe the new, more aggressive philosophies the team will use in 2014.

Here are some other notes from around Washington D.C.:

  • With the new aggressive defense focused on increasing their sack total, an even more important number might be yards per pass attempt, write John Keim of ESPN.com. The Redskins were 31st in the league in that category in 2013, and Keim writes that better tackling in the back end of the defense is more important than a lofty sack number.
  • New head coach Jay Gruden certainly has his own tendencies, but like his predecessor Mike Shanahan, he loves running the football, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. From 2011-2013, the Bengals were 11th in rushing attempts, only three attempts short of the Redskins. They also ran the ball on first down consistently, finishing fifth in that category.
  • Star quarterback Robert Griffin III is happy to have a new coaching staff, but needs to move on from the relationship troubles he had with Mike and Kyle Shanahan, writes J.P. Finlay of CSNWashington.com. Griffin mentioned his old coaches having “ulterior motives,” but Finlay hopes the quarterback is able to move on and leave the past behind.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Redskins

June 28th, 2014 at 1:58pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Eagles have experience with tight ends Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, and James Casey, and they could employ their skill sets in multiple tight end formations early in the season, writes Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. As the season goes on, and rookie receivers Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff become more comfortable in the offense, their roles could increase as well.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:

  • Eagles‘ punter Donnie Jones and gunner Brandon Boykin were keys to the team’s special teams in 2013, and could anchor a unit that will help win games this season, writes Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com. The punting game particularly is set to be a strong point in 2014.
  • The Redskins were not particularly strong in the kicking game last season, but are poised to improve under a new coaching staff this season, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. Tandler sets a goal of averaging 25 yard per kickoff return, which would start to turn their fortunes in a positive direction.
  • Redskins‘ offensive coordinator Sean McVay was impressed by Robert Griffin III during OTAs, writes John Keim of ESPN.com. Griffin, who was unable to call audibles under former head coach Mike Shanahan, will not have some flexibility at the line of scrimmage.

East Notes: Flowers, Maclin, McClain

June 15th, 2014 at 10:07am CST by Rory Parks

The recent release of Brandon Flowers has triggered a predictable series of rumors and rumblings as fans and beat writers try to determine if Flowers could be a realistic fit for the teams they root for and cover. The Jets were one of the many teams named as potential landing spots for the former Chiefs’ corner, but Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com would be surprised if GM John Idzik made a play for him.

Cimini believes that Flowers would make sense for the Jets, considering his talent-level, the fact that the team has $21MM of cap space, and the fact that New York paid $3MM for the less-talented and injury-prone Dimitri Patterson. However, Cimini notes that Idzik is not a “hurry-up kind of general manager,” and he goes on to point out that Flowers’ struggles in 2013 came in a similar system to the one employed by Rex Ryan.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

  • In the same piece, Cimini writes that although Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is staying quiet about a long-term contract, teammate Sheldon Richardson is zealously advocating on Wilkerson’s behalf. Cimini does note that a deal for Wilkerson will be consummated at some point.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that the Patriots actually offered Kevin Williams a contract with greater earning potential than the Seahawks, which reflects on the way New England feels about players dealing with injury concerns like Tommy Kelly, Armond Armstead, Vince Wilfork, and Dominique Easley. Of course, “earning potential” is not the same thing as real money, so it is unclear if Williams actually turned down a more lucrative deal with the Pats to sign with the defending champs.
  • Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com writes that, given the outstanding class of wide receivers due to become free agents after the 2014 season, the Eagles could have enough leverage to sign Jeremy Maclin to a reasonable long-term deal if they like what they see from him this year.
  • Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is committed to developing Robert Griffin III into a more well-rounded quarterback and will use the read-option only as a change-of-pace, according to Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com.
  • Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News looks at five questions the Cowboys still face after OTAs, including what they will do to replace Sean Lee and whether Terrell McClain can carry over his impressive OTA performance into training camp.