Washington Redskins

Fred Davis spotted in a DC athletes' natural habitat - the club.

So Charles Robinson over at Yahoo always brings the juice even if he didn’t actually write the piece. Yesterday he tweeted this article about Fred Davis being accused of assault and harassment and acting has his own defense attorney. According to the article, Fred Davis’ girlfriend[photo on page 2 of the link] (who I have no idea if he’s still with) was his original attorney in the case but she quit in May 2011. He began representing himself in the proceedings in April 2011.

A lot of people are confused when those of us who live in DC make jokes about the affect this city’s vibrant club scene has on players who come to town. Right now, we’re also placing bets on when the Redskins new QB RGIII will host a party at Cafe Asia or when Wizards pick Brandon Beal will celebrate his birthday at Stadium. The drama that happens in clubs and restaurants around here with rappers and athletes is the stuff of legend. Remember Albert Haynesworth? Brandon Banks? Hell DC athletes have made a strip club famous.

So when I read how Davis’ drama started I wasn’t surprised:

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This is probably the same look Hightower had on his face when he got stuck on that mountain with his wife

From Phoenix Fox 10:

A couple who went for an evening hike on Camelback Mountain Thursday ended up needing some help, and the man who needed help is reportedly a former Cardinals player.

Witnesses called the FOX 10 newsroom to report that the man needing aid was Tim Hightower.

Hightower is now with the Redskins, and his wife is Krista Hightower.

The couple ended up hiking off-trail and getting lost, and then it became too dark for them to make it down.

Redskins blog reports that Hightower is just fine and is back to work.

I mean why? Just why?

As we all wondered the ins and outs of how something could first be okay and then totally and completely not okay, Sally Jenkins gave us the detailed history of why the Skins received a salary cap penalty for actions taken during an “uncapped” year.

It all has to do with what amounts to a quest by the Redskins to gain a competitive advantage. Jenkins writes:

What happened was this: Back in 2010, when the NFL entered hardball negotiations with the players union for a new labor contract, the owners warned each other not to use the situation to get a leg up. were in an uncapped year, with no limit on player salaries, and entering a tense and emotionally fraught labor situation, and they asked each other not to abuse the circumstances.

In essence they said, “Don’t try to set yourselves up to be in a better spot when this is over.” Think of it like a yellow caution flag in a car race: The drivers agree to hold their places and not to accelerate until the track is clear.

But that’s exactly what Snyder did. To a lesser extent, so did Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones just sped up a little. Snyder apparently floored it. The Redskins shifted money, moved it, dumped it, and did everything they could to emerge from the labor pause with the books cleared of bad numbers, so when it was over they could get the biggest jump possible on other franchises in buying up new players.

Jenkins goes on to give a great synopsis about why Dan Snyder isn’t only disliked among scorned Skins fans but why his peers aren’t such fans of his either. I think it’s a worthy read.

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This photo shows Redskins QB Rex Grossman in his most comfortable position--dropping the ball.

The life of a Redskins fan was lookin up sort of. The Redskins were performing better than analysts predicted. Last night, they ran into a desperate Eagles team. Oo I hate to say that but it’s true. Redskins came into the game with one of the better performing defenses in the league and an up and down offense with a QB that has made some crucial mistakes.

In addition to Grossman being shaky on offense, the Redskins receivers are extra regular, and one of their best options in the past, the tight end Chris Cooley, has regressed due to injury. The Redskins biggest threats are running backs Ryan Torain and Tim Hightower.

The Eagles got off to a fast start scoring 20 points in the first half. In the 2nd half the Eagles didn’t score at all, but the Redskins just couldn’t take advantage of any of it.

In the 4th quarter of the game, after Grossman threw 4 interceptions,  the Shanahans had seen enough. They pulled Grossman from the game and put in John Beck, the dude I WRONGLY predicted would be the starter from the beginning. Not because he’s “so good” but because we already know what Rex Grossman has to offer. And we already know (or I thought we knew?) that it’s not good enough to be a starting QB in the NFL. We don’t know what Beck has to offer, and if he’s the only other option, it might be good to see what he’s got. That way you know if next year needs to find you drafting a QB, looking at David Garrard, or trying to wrestle Ryan Mallet away from the Patriots.

Although I thought that Beck should be the starter for the season, I still see an issue with the Shanahans benching Grossman at Week 6.

If nothing else, thus far Redskins seemed stable. They were low on mistakes (especially non-QB mistakes), they were competitive in their 1 loss coming into this game, and have already won more games than many analysts predicted. Benching Grossman throws the team into an uproar again and I’m not sure that the Redskins offense is one that Beck is gonna be so much better in. While the receivers are reliable, the Redskins don’t have the kind of explosive offensive weapons that can help a struggling QB not look so..well…struggle’ish.

Secondly,  I think that the decision to bench Grossman should stand for the entirety of the season win or lose. I don’t think that Grossman should start again unless Beck can’t play. It just doesn’t serve anyone to have that kind of controversy at the QB position. But given the Shanahans’ history, we might see another benching at week 9, around the time that offenses really need to be clicking on all cylinders.

That’s just bad. How does it help a QB’s performance to have the threat of benching hanging over his head after every game?

Grossman finished against the Eagles with a QB rating of 23.7, apparently he’s given 3 worst performances in his career. He’s the same Gross we always knew and I can’t ever  complain about Grossman being offered a seat on the sidelines. But I worry that this is just another act in the Redskins Quarterback play, and the rest of the cast deserves better performances from the lead characters.

Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo has a cracked rib and a punctured lung. Currently, it hurts when he laughs. Brian Orakpo just shared this on facebook.

I can’t believe I have to say this…but I really don’t think that Tony Romo and Michael Vick should play Sunday (Eagles/Giants) and Monday (Cowboys/Redskins). To catch you up, Romo suffered a cracked rib and punctured lung against the San Francisco 49ers. And Vick was concussed in the game against the Atlanta Falcons. 4 days later and Romo is expected to play on Monday and Vick is currently a game time decision having participated in team walk throughs the last couple of days.

I realize that football players are the superest of humans, but this is so dumb it’s sickening. I get that football season is short and that every win counts, and you certainly want to nail those wins against teams that aren’t great lessening the blow of not beating superior teams. But if ever there was a good chance for backup QBs Kitna and Kafka to win games in their starters’ absence it’s against the Redskins (umm yeah I know they’re 2 and 0) and the depleted Giants.

How can a league that changed kickoffs in the interest of safety also send two players out to play given what they experienced last week? Redskins Cornerback D’Angelo Hall has already publicly said he will target Romo’s injury which is appropriate football strategy (however terrible some people thought it sounded). Whether Hall makes will make it over the line of scrimmage I don’t know, but there’s a HIGH probability OLB Brian Orakpo will. And SS Laron Landry is coming back off injury with something to prove. What better way to welcome yourself back then to grab a couple of sacks against your division rival?

Romo could be without his best receivers leaving him vulnerable to holding the ball longer when he has to pass. But I suppose it’ll be okay because we’ve been assured that the puncture was “small” and could clear up in a matter of “days?”

I don’t care!

Kafka had a good showing for the Eagles last week when Vick had to leave the game. And if Vince Young’s hammy feel better this week he’s likely to be available to play as well. The Eagles have a former starter and a promising youngin backing up Vick and are headed to play an injured team whose best strength the past couple seasons has been getting to the QB. Given the Eagles offensive line woes if Vick absorbs more hits, knockdowns and sacks in the next game while he’s already feeling badly…the likelihood of him fulfilling the gruesome prophecy held by many that he’s going to miss most of the season increases exponentially.

I ain’t with it.

There were a number of other players that suffered concussions this week, and I’ll try to keep track of who plays and who doesn’t for a future post.

The Redskins are putting the "tight" in Tight End. Photo via Washington Post taken by Sky Kerstein

Redskins Tight End Chris Cooley has always been a character. I guess his former teammate running back Clinton Portis kind of took all the spotlight so maybe people don’t know. But just a reminder, Cooley is the dude who posted a photo of his playbook which was sitting on his lap…that was naked. He didn’t realize he was putting his BUSINESS out there until too late. *insert man meat joke*

Now Chris and his fellow Washington Tight Ends have opted to begin wearing tights in practice. I read this Washington Post article twice and could not for the life of me figure out why. They mentioned that they “look” lighter and more aerodynamic wearing the tights, but are they ACTUALLY faster? And don’t NFL players already wear rayon jeggings as it is?

Whatever, they look cute.

Washington Redskins Laron Landry in Quasi-Linebacker Form

I live for little bits and pieces of honesty from players I like. Washington Redskins safety Laron Landry is one of my favorite Defensive Backs, and apparently fans have been questioning him on twitter about his progress. Landry expressed frustration about how his injury has been handled by the Redskins in some tweets that have since been deleted. I’m sure he was hacked…but on the off chance he wasn’t, the Washington Post says:

“Uuhhh oo it ain’t my fault…blame the genius circus staff for the rush. wouldve been there 2wks ago. Im [sorry] but saga [continues],” Landry said in atweet that has since been deleted.

On Saturday, Landry tweeted, “Dont u hate when u absolutely know something 200% and dumb. . . still do the opposite of what u tell them!!! Set backs. . . !!!” The message contained three vulgarities.

Landry hasn’t exactly been forthcoming when asked directly about the situation. On Monday, when he was asked about the status of the strained hamstring that forced him to miss the last two preseason games-after rehabbing the strained left Achilles’ tendon that cost him all of training camp and the start of the preseason-Landry said only “every day is progress.” Landry, who last season recorded 85 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in just nine games, also maintained hope that he would play Sunday in the regular season opener.

Side note: Why do defensive players use so many exclamation points when they type? This is a trend I’m noticing. Maybe it’s just a symptom of having an aggressive personality or something.

Moving right along, I can’t tell from these tweets what exactly is going on on the Redskins but this is a dysfunctional team so really you never know.

Only last week did I confidently predict that John Beck would be starting over Rex Grossman, only to be brutally rebuffed when the Redskins announced Grossman as the starter for week 1 (they keep saying week 1…is he the starter for week 1 or the starter period?). I need to marinate on this. Grossman has taken over 1100 snaps in a regular season games to Beck’s 3 (over the entirety of their careers). He also has a year more in the Redskins “system” (whatever that is). If I see two people with those numbers I’d expect the person with more experience and snaps to easily play better than the guy who has barely had a chance. The fact that Grossman didn’t blow Beck out of the water is a bad sign to me.

For Beck’s comment, he is PISSED. His words, not mine. Another interesting round in Redskins land.

The Denver Broncos Continue to Treat Tim Tebow Like a Red-headed Step Child

It’s the last week of the pre-season and three teams are keeping up a ridiculous quarterback sham. The Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and Washington Redskins are still telling everyone who will listen that they don’t know who the #2 quarterback is on their team. I have to be honest, I’m not here for that. I prefer when teams keep it real.

YOU LIE ANDY REID

The Philadephia Eagles have former Tennessee Titans STARTING Quarterback Vince Young as well as never-taken-a-snap-in-a-game-that-matters-but-definitely-seems-like-he-could-possibly-one-day 2010 4th round Eagles draft pick Mike Kafka. Young has a similar playing style to their starting QB Mike Vick and performed well enough to attend two pro bowls in the past. And before he was dramatically benched last year, he was having a pretty respectable season.

But the Eagles don’t know who their number 2 QB is? Oh okay, well let me tell you. IT’S VINCE YOUNG.

The ShanaSCAMS

The Redskins are just as pitiful with their situation. After benching a superior QB in Donovan McNabb for a spotty middling one-Rex Grossman-it seemed like the Shanahans were prepared to make a commitment to the QB (that most football watchers thought was exiled forever after leaving Chicago) until they could get a better veteran. But then the Shanahans (Head coach Mike and deeply offensive coordinator Kyle, his son) spent the entire lockout and first week of the pre-season raving about former Bringham Young QB John Beck. Beck, a man who 99.999999999% of football fans had never heard of. After no one took them seriously, the Redskins belatedly created some sort of “friendly quarterback competition” that is for all intents and purposes a complete sham.

Why? Because John Beck actually has a chance to be the Redskins QB for years to come. Grossman doesn’t. Everyone knows what Grossman can do. I can’t name a team in the league that would want to sign Grossman to a long term contract as a starter even given the dearth of talent that exists right now. You can’t rely on him to be a starter based on history and you can’t use him to train a new QB. Barring injury, the Redskins should be giving Beck the start, giving him intensive EXCLUSIVE tutelage, and figuring out what the hell he can do. Not having him split snaps and engage in some dumb ass competition with somebody who likely will spend the rest of their career as a backup.

The league is full of rookie quarterbacks and guys who have never been a starter before. They all will be learning the hard way this season. Perfect time to test out a newbie. You know what you (don’t) have in Grossman, might as well see what the deal is with Beck and stop confusing the hapless Washington media.

Ladies and Gents, Your Denver BRONCnos

Finally, the Broncos have made a mess of this entire quarterback situation. To be clear, Tim Tebow probably never should have been drafted as a quarterback in the first place. When I watch Tebow play, I feel like I’m watching a guy in a vicious battle with genetics. He knows what he needs to do but his body just won’t let him. He not only struggles with his throwing motion, simply dropping back with any sort of speed and fluidity is a test for him. The Broncos gave him the ultimate insult when they leaked to the press that Tebow just has “no football sense.” HOW LOW CAN YOU GO.

Just a few weeks ago, fans in Denver were SO TEBOW-CRAZY, wide receiver Brandon Lloyd said that the Broncos would probably HAVE to start Tebow just to keep the peace. Now here we are a short time later and Kyle Orton is the clear starter. And the Broncos are telling us that they just haven’t decided who would replace Orton if he goes down (which, he will-I’ve already put him on “ankle watch 2011″).

Brady Quinn is their number 2 and Tebow won’t be with the Broncos next season. In fact, I’d be surprised if he’s still in the league. Quinn was highly touted and then fell completely off the radar. From all accounts, Quinn has regained some confidence and looked more promising than Tebow in the professional system. This is not to say that Quinn is the Broncos QB of the future-or anyone’s QB of the future. But Quinn isn’t fighting with his DNA just to get the ball of out his hands. And if the Broncos want Tebow to be number two breaking him down publicly like this is not the way to ensure his best performance. And Quinn can definitely tell Tebow a little bit about fan hype and disappointment.

Long story short, all these teams know who their number 2 is and I’m not in the mood to play dress up with them. Have at it.

One of my favorite players ever, Clinton Portis, in brighter days.

Clinton Portis is one of my favorite players of all time. I envisioned him leaving the Washington Redskins where he had a very productive career despite the dysfunction, and helping out some team at 2nd string at least a couple more years. I kept waiting on news on him and finally I got it. Portis tried out with the Patriots last week. Unfortunately, he showed up completely out of shape and said he lost 25lbs in the last two weeks.

This is definitely not the way I wanted Portis to end his career. Portis will go down as one of the greatest Redskins in history. He should also be known as one of the most effective and fearless blockers. He was never afraid to sacrifice his body on a play. I really think that last year he was in much more pain than he let on. Worried about his position and career, he came back way too soon from a groin injury, and at that time I thought it might be a death knell. That alone could have forced him into retirement.

With all that his body has gone through, I see why he’s on his way out. I just don’t understand why retiring wasn’t preferable to showing up to Pats camp (of ALL places) out of shape. Portis is one of the wealthier and friendlier guys in the NFL-there are probably plenty of guys he could have worked out with and elite places he could have trained at during the lockout. The decision to show up and make the only news about him this season the fact that he was totally unprepared for football just doesn’t make sense to me. It also makes me sad.

Tavaris Jackson had a few chances in Minnesota and didn't deliver. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll thinks a stable situation will turn his play around.

I feel like I’ve gone on too much about the dearth of talent at the QB position in the NFL. But since there has been a bunch of movement at the QB spot over the two weeks, I suppose it’s appropriate to discuss it really briefly again.

Redskins QB Rex Grossman turned down a longer term offer with the Redskins preferring to sign a one year contract and keep his options open. On one hand, given Grossman’s previous performances, this could serve as a prime example of the audacity of NOPE. But, since the current NFL will now boasts Snap-starved Tavaris Jackson at the helm for the Seahawks and a very unproven Kevin Kolb taking 30 million + to take over the Arizona Cardinals, Grossman’s comment almost seems acceptable.

ALMOST.

Middling QBs are having the best year ever! And rookies that have to start right away might be having the worst. I’ll be interested to see how football commentators assess Andy Dalton and Cam Newton as they lead the disastrous Bengals and win-deficient Panthers from day 1. Both rookies will have it tough.

As for Rex Grossman, he is still going to have to “compete” for the starting spot in Washington with some dude named John Beck who I was going to research but lost interest half way through. In fact, I don’t plan to mention the Redskins much at all this year. As I’ve been told, “if you don’t have anything nice to say…”

The main thing that is disappointing to me about bad quarterbacking is the impact it has on receivers. I’m rooting for Kolb to be good because I want Larry Fitzgerald to be good. I’m rooting for Tavaris Jackson to succeed because I want Sidney Rice to succeed. And so on. This is one thing to keep in mind as you build fantasy teams…who’s getting your guy the ball? Anyway, a great receiver on a team with a bad QB makes me feel like I’m being cheated out of something great.

All the more reason for the NFL to think about how it can better nurture and preserve QB talent.

A little bit on good cap management

Everyone was wondering how the Philadelphia Eagles could sign so a many high value players and remain under the salary cap. Peter King sums it up.

Understand this principle to start: The Eagles were not in bad cap shape to begin with. When free agency opened they were at $99 million in commitments to veterans and draft choices. (More about those later.) They had shed big veteran salaries over the last couple of years — including quarterback Donovan McNabb’s — and by opening day 2010 had the third-youngest 53-man roster in football. Young means salary manageable.

As of Sunday morning, the Eagles’ projected roster (there’s some guesswork here, but it’s close) consisted of 35 players with cap numbers of $1.5 million or less. And only six players — quarterback Mike Vick ($16.1 million cap number), cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha ($10 million), cornerback Asante Samuel ($9.34 million), tackle Jason Peters ($6.54 million), and defensive ends Jason Babin ($5.3 million) and Trent Cole ($5 million) — had cap figures of $5 million or more.

King goes on to say:

Not including Asomugha, the eight free agent signings and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who came from Arizona in the Kevin Kolb trade, have zero dollars promised to them for 2012 and beyond. There are years remaining on contracts, yes. But guarantees, no.

Point is, this is the kind of cap situation that can absorb Vick at $16.1 million this year, and Asomugha at $10 million this year and $11 million next year. And the kind of cap that can accommodate a very good player like Cullen Jenkins, the best rush defensive tackle on the market, who never saw the market develop for him the way he thought it would.

Jenkins thought his first-choice team, Philadelphia, wouldn’t sign him after giving Asomugha a four-year, $48-million contract. The Eagles convinced Jenkins they still wanted him badly, but just couldn’t pay him what they’d been discussing pre-Nnamdi. After a night to think about it, Jenkins decided he’d rather play where he wanted for $4 million than to go to a Cincinnati-type team for more money. Jenkins figures he’ll still have another payday if he outperforms this contract in the first year or two. The reputation of the Eagles helped — as did some players’ desire to play on Vick’s team.

One more thing about the Eagles’ cap. It’s not the league’s number of $120.38 million per team. It is actually $125.58 million. That includes $2.2 million in what the league calls “reallocation credits” from the last capped year, 2009, when the Eagles didn’t spend to the cap, and the $3 million every team can borrow from a future cap year to support veteran player costs this season.

Love that King mentions guys wanting to play with Vick, and if you haven’t checked my Vick bromance post, you should.