***Official Washington Redskins 2013 Offseason Thread (3 Viewers)

[Sidewinder16]

Dr. James Andrews and Marcus Lattimore both give glowing reports on Griffin's rehab.

 

[Bayhawks]

Dr. James Andrews and Marcus Lattimore both give glowing reports on Griffin's rehab.

I hope that Griffin is 100% next year, but I would't classify Andrews' report as "glowing;" he basically says Griffin is (months) ahead of schedule, but still won't say he'll be ready for the beginning of the season.Lattimore's report is more "glowing," but less substantial, IMO. He says he has no doubt Griffin will be ready because "he's a great athlete." Being a great athlete doesn't mean squat. Until last year (AP), there have been a number of "great athletes" who suffer these types of injuries late in the season, but aren't 100% the next year.

 

[meyerj31]

Dr. James Andrews and Marcus Lattimore both give glowing reports on Griffin's rehab.

I hope that Griffin is 100% next year, but I would't classify Andrews' report as "glowing;" he basically says Griffin is (months) ahead of schedule, but still won't say he'll be ready for the beginning of the season.Lattimore's report is more "glowing," but less substantial, IMO. He says he has no doubt Griffin will be ready because "he's a great athlete." Being a great athlete doesn't mean squat. Until last year (AP), there have been a number of "great athletes" who suffer these types of injuries late in the season, but aren't 100% the next year.

This whole thing just seems really dangerous to me. They shouldn't be releasing any information. All they are doing is setting up disappointment for the fans when he's not 100% next year.Also getting tired of the "updates" ... it's like we're getting a new headline every time a cell divides in his body. Give it a rest. This is worse than the annual Favre "will-he-won't-he" retire saga.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Here's a fun reminder for you about the significance of these early reports on ACL recoveries.

 

[dgreen]

AJ Smith joining the personnel department.

 

[Marvelous]

AJ Smith joining the personnel department.

This is potentially a really big addition. Although not well liked by anyone, Smith was the GM in San Diego and put together very talented teams, primarily built through the draft.

 

[dgreen]

AJ Smith joining the personnel department.

This is potentially a really big addition. Although not well liked by anyone, Smith was the GM in San Diego and put together very talented teams, primarily built through the draft.

Yeah, Bruce Allen has mostly been viewed as a cap guy and lead cheerleader, so to speak. Mike Shanahan has likely held most of the personnel responsibilities and has been criticized at times for his talent evaluation. So, I agree, this could be a big addition if it gives them someone who is really good at talent evaluation and is spending a large chunk of their time solely on talent evaluation.

 

[Sidewinder16]

An "unnamed source" says Fred Davis is cleared to resume running and increase physical activity in his rehab. The source also claims he'll be ready for OTAs.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Josh Morgan appears to be recovering well from three post-season surgeries.

Morgan had a plate and seven screws removed from his surgically repaired right ankle in January.

...Morgan revealed that the same week as his ankle surgery, he also had torn ligaments in each hand repaired.

Morgan suffered an injury to one hand in the season opener, then tore ligaments in the other hand later in the season against Philadelphia.Morgan broke his ankle in 2011 while he was with San Francisco. He was never completely healed last season, but played in all 16 games. He had 48 catches for 510 yards and two receiving touchdowns, as well as one rushing touchdown. Late in the year, Morgan struggled with both his mobility and catching ability. He said trainers had to tape his hands like a boxer’s for each game.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Redskins' current salary cap situation.

The Redskins are believed to be around $3 million over the cap, and unless they somehow are able to pull off their last-ditch effort to recoup some of that $18 million that the league has docked them (the second installment of the two-year, $36 million penalty for how they structured contracts during the uncapped 2010 season), Bruce Allen and Eric Schaffer have a fair amount of work ahead of them.

The Redskins need to more than just get under the cap, because they have 19 players of their own with expiring deals, and they have needs to meet in free agency, particularly safety, cornerback and right tackle and left guard. So, while getting under the cap (trimming roughly $3 million) isn’t much of a challenge, creating financial flexibility could be. For example, last season, the signings of Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan, Brandon Meriweather, Madieu Williams, Tanard Jackson and Adam Carriker took up roughly $13 million in 2012 cap money.

What other Redskins have the biggest cap figures for 2013? The list is as follows. There’s no indication that all of these players are targets for restructuring or release, but here’s how the biggest salary cap hits stack up:Wide receiver Pierre Garcon: $8.2 millionCornerback DeAngelo Hall: $8 millionTackle Trent Williams: $7.98 millionNose tackle Barry Cofield: $6.3 millionLinebacker London Fletcher: $6.2 millionWide receiver Santana Moss: $6.16 millionDefensive end Stephen Bowen: $5.5 millionCornerback Josh Wilson: $5.3 millionLinebacker Brian Orakpo: $5.1 millionWide receiver Josh Morgan: $5.1 millionDefensive end Adam Carriker: $4.75 millionGuard Chris Chester: $4.3 millionSafety Brandon Meriweather: $2.9 millionCenter Will Montgomery: $2.65 million

 

[Sidewinder16]

Because of his year-long suspension, Tanard Jackson's contract rolls over to the 2013 season.

Jackson has appeared on some unofficial media lists as among the players eligible for unrestricted free agency this month. But the three people familiar with the matter said Friday that under NFL rules governing such issues, Jackson’s one-year contract with the Redskins rolls over into the upcoming season.He does not count against the salary cap, one of those people said, as long as he remains under suspension.Jackson still must be reinstated by the NFL in order to be eligible to play next season. According to a written statement released by the league last August, when Jackson was suspended without pay, he is eligible for reinstatement beginning Aug. 31, 2013.

 

[Todd Andrews]

Always seeing this kind of stat analysis on RGIII.

 

[Swing 51]

Fred Smoot apologizes for DUI, indicates possible civil suit

By Sarah Kogod , Updated: March 4, 2013In January, Fred Smoot was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, but it was something found in the affadavit of one of the officers by Washingtonian Magazine that caused the most embarrassment for Smoot.From Washingtonian: “During processing, in the service area, while handcuffed, the [defendant] peed his pants creating a puddle on the floor,” Carll said in the affidavit. “[A police officer] witnessed the urine running down his pant leg and onto the floor. [smoot] did not express that he had to use the restroom.” Smoot’s lawyer, Bryan K. McDaniel, addressed that portion of the arrest in a statement to Washingtonian after the story broke. “So that I am clear, Mr. Smoot did not urinate on himself while in the precinct or at any other time during or while he was in custody. A fair and objective review of the Affidavit created by Officer Carll reveals that the portion reporting these intentionally embarrassing mistruths are memorialized in hand writing as an add on to the rest of the report which was done in type set. (Please review the Affidavit).”Two weeks ago, Smoot pleaded guilty to the DUI and received six months probation. But on Friday, the former Redskin went on 106.7 The Fan with Holden and Danny to clear the air further.“First of all, I wanted to apologize to not only my family, my friends, and everybody in the D.C. area for just putting myself in that situation to begin with,” Smoot began. “We’ve pretty much dealt with the legal matters of it. It was more of a mishap of me stepping outside of the boundaries of how I spoke to this officer, and me and him basically, verbally got into it from the draw. That forced it to go in many, many different ways.“And I’m also right now in the process of, like I said, I’ve already dealt with the legal part of it, so now, you know, if the civil moves on I would have to deal with it in that way,” he continued. “So I can’t really continue to speak on it as in-depth as I really want to. But you know at the end of the day, bad decision by me, you know, and I’m dealing with it right now, day to day.”The radio duo asked Smoot to clarify his indication that there was a civil matter pending.“That’s the part that now we’re dealing with now, civilly and everything from, you know, a lot of false stuff to even stuff being wrote on a regular sheet of paper,” he said, referring to his lawyer’s claim in the statement to Washingtonian. “And like I said, it goes a lot deeper than that, and that part I’m handling as we speak so I can’t really speak on it in depth. Yes, it was a lot of false information put in there.”At least he didn’t call it “flagellant information.”

 

[Sebowski]

AJ Smith joining the personnel department.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sebowski]

AJ Smith joining the personnel department.

This is potentially a really big addition. Although not well liked by anyone, Smith was the GM in San Diego and put together very talented teams, primarily built through the draft.

Yeah, Bruce Allen has mostly been viewed as a cap guy and lead cheerleader, so to speak. Mike Shanahan has likely held most of the personnel responsibilities and has been criticized at times for his talent evaluation. So, I agree, this could be a big addition if it gives them someone who is really good at talent evaluation and is spending a large chunk of their time solely on talent evaluation.

He got too much credit for the couple years the Chargers were good. This is a guy who let the following players walk awayrew BreesMichael TurnerDarren SprolesVincent JacksonWes Welker Walk away. No compensation. I've watched AJ let the Chargers corrode into a team that has missed the playoffs three years in a row. He is an irrational egomaniac. I hope he has no real power and he moves on quickly.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Fletcher has surgery and is working on returning for the '13 season.

Redskins linebacker London Fletcher is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery Wednesday and plans to play the 2013 season as long as he remains convinced he can do so at a level that satisfies him, a person familiar with the situation said.

Fletcher also is scheduled to undergo elbow surgery later this month, the person said.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity because the Redskins had not commented publicly on Fletcher’s surgeries or his plans for next season, the person said that Fletcher is “not planning on retiring” but still must make certain that his body will recover to the point necessary to play well.

“The word retirement has not come out of his mouth,” the person said. “That’s why he’s getting these surgeries. He has to see if he can get healthy and get in shape, and make sure he can play at the level he wants to play.”

Fletcher told 106.7 The Fan, which first reported the surgeries, that “surgery is the first step towards prepping for next season.”

 

[Warpig]

Always seeing this kind of stat analysis on RGIII.

These things always boggle me with all the stuff they take into account. Give it to me straight, is that QBR for RGIII good or bad? Is it better if the # is higher or lower?As far as RGIII's recovery, I really don't think he needs much mobility if his line can block for him. He has a cannon arm and can be effective as a pocket passer. Sure, his rushing adds another element to his game and something defenses need to gameplan for, but he had success as a pocket passer. So even if he isn't "as mobile" as he was, I think 80% mobility for RGIII is still better than any other QB in the league other than Vick maybe.

For his career's sake I hope he doesn't rush back too soon. Would hate to see him have another injury due to coming back too soon...like what finished him in his rookie year.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Walk away. No compensation. I've watched AJ let the Chargers corrode into a team that has missed the playoffs three years in a row. He is an irrational egomaniac. I hope he has no real power and he moves on quickly.

The difference with us is that he is not the final say...Bruce Allen runs the negotiations and contracts, so he is the one that plans when we let someone walk or not. As for AJ, he can surely be a bonehead and let his ego & hard head get in the way when he has that final say so, but one thing he can do is evaluate talent. So, we should never see the worst part of AJ Smith as long as Bruce and Shanny are with us.

 

[ExaltedOne]

AJ is great at evaluating draft talent. His son works for the Redskins scouting department, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with him wanting to be there. As long as he sticks to personnel then I'm sure it'll be fine. I assume he's using this as a "break" from the stress of being a GM and in a few years he'll move back into that kind of role (somewhere else please!) I'm sure Danny is compensating him well.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Be prepared for some names to dropped soon in regards to 'Skins releases...London Fletcher, DeAngelo Hall, and maybe a few others that you might think would not be on that list.

 

[Marvelous]

Be prepared for some names to dropped soon in regards to 'Skins releases...London Fletcher, DeAngelo Hall, and maybe a few others that you might think would not be on that list.

Fletcher will almost certainly be kept. Hall has already stated he wants to redo his contract so he can stay. It sounds like he is willing to take a pay cut.Sanata Moss could be a cap casulty. He had a very good year last year in limited playing time. But he is older with a big salary and big cap figure.

 

[Marvelous]

The following players are unrestricted free agents and what I think will happen to them:

TE Chris Cooley - retire

TE Fred Davis - unknown - the Redskins will try to sign him to a reasonable deal, but they won't be able to match if another team wants him.

P Sav Rocca - probably will be back

OT Jordan Black - may be re-signed. If he does, he still needs to fight to make the team.

OT Tyler Polumbus - will be re-signed. He has more value to the Redskins than to other teams, so it's a natural fit.

OG Kory LItchtensteiger - same as Polumbus, but a better player

DL Kedric Golston - a decent player who could may not be back due to the cap penalty

OLB Rob Jackson - it will be difficult to keep him after having a decent year last year. Once again, cap penalties really hurt the Redskins here.

LB Lorenzo Alexander - I think the Redskins would really like to keep Alexander, but may not be able to compete with offers from other teams.

LB Bryan Kehl - won't be back

LB Chris Wilson - won't be back

CB Cedric Griffin - they would like to keep him, but he may get a pretty big contract as a free agent. He helped his value last year.

S Madieu Williams - won't be back

Restricted Free Agents

RFAs can be tendered at four different levels. They are:

1st round tender: $2.879M

2nd round tender: $2.023M

original round tender: $1.323M

right of first refusal: $1.323M

DL Chris Baker - tender at original round drafted. He was undrafted, but it still gives the Redskins right of first refusal

TE Logan Paulsen - right of first refusal tender.

FB Darrel Yound - rigth of first refusal tender.

WR Brandon Banks - not tendered

OL Nick Sundberg - right of first refusal tender

Pretty interesting that the Redskins have 5 RFAs and none of them were drafted. This shows the 2009 Redskin draft, which was Vinnie Cerato's last, was not that good.

 

[Sidewinder16]

LB Bryan Kehl - won't be backLB Chris Wilson - won't be backS Madieu Williams - won't be back

Are these because you think they want to leave, or the 'Skins don't want them, or other teams will pay too much for them, or they are too easily replaceable, or...?IMO, Kehl is easily replaceable (and has been in the past). Williams could possibly be gone, but his price will probably be real low after last year. The problem with him is he needs to be a backup and I don't know that he has been a big ST contributor in the past. Wilson I think could be brought back for vet min. which would be good for a backup that has been in the system for a couple of years.

 

[dgreen]

IIRC, Kehl was a guy that they cut and then brought back to play special teams at the end of the year. I think they like him and I remember him making some plays on kick coverage. I assume he'd be cheap, so my guess is he's back.

 

[dgreen]

Actually, I didn't realize Kehl had as much experience as he does. I'm not sure what his minimum contract would be having 5 years in the league. If it's significantly more than a rookie minimum contract, then I could see them not wanting him back.

 

[Marvelous]

LB Bryan Kehl - won't be backLB Chris Wilson - won't be backS Madieu Williams - won't be back

Are these because you think they want to leave, or the 'Skins don't want them, or other teams will pay too much for them, or they are too easily replaceable, or...?IMO, Kehl is easily replaceable (and has been in the past). Williams could possibly be gone, but his price will probably be real low after last year. The problem with him is he needs to be a backup and I don't know that he has been a big ST contributor in the past. Wilson I think could be brought back for vet min. which would be good for a backup that has been in the system for a couple of years.

I thought the 'Skins won't want them back. But if Rob Jackson leaves, I could see Chris Wilson staying.I saw another list that had Rob Jackson as a restricted free agent. If so, he will get a tender offer, probably a 2nd round.

 

[Sidewinder16]

TE Fred Davis - unknown - the Redskins will try to sign him to a reasonable deal, but they won't be able to match if another team wants him.

FWIW, John Keim seems to think he'll be back with the Redskins.

What we're hearing » The Redskins have told others they expect to re-sign Davis. Some took note of what general manager Bruce Allen said last month in Richmond about Davis: "We won't know a lot until later in the spring where he's at." As one NFL source who knows Allen well said, "Every word he says is scripted." And Allen's message could be viewed as a way to dampen the market for Davis. Not that Allen's thought is inaccurate.

And coach Mike Shanahan told Redskins.comTV of Davis' Achilles injury, "very seldom do you come back at 100 percent."

Another negotiating ploy: The Redskins don't think he'll be 100 percent so they'll want to pay him accordingly. As of now, though, it's likely they will be the ones paying him in 2013.

Rich Tandler followed that up with the speculation that Drew Rosenhaus, agent for Davis and Moss, may push Davis to sign a Redskins-friendly contract in exchange for Moss keeping his contract.

Will agent push Davis back to Redskins?

John Keim of the Examiner reported on Wednesday that “The Redskins have told others they expect to re-sign [tight end Fred] Davis. So even though they will be scrambling for every salary cap dollar they can find, they seem confident that they will be able to bring back the player who is likely to be their highest-priced free agent.

Why are they so confident?

The answer, believe it or not, could be tied to Santana Moss. The veteran wide receiver, who will be 34 before next season starts, has been mentioned as someone who could be facing either being asked to take a pay cut or perhaps being released to help the Redskins get under the cap and afford a player like Davis.

It just so happens that the same agent, Drew Rosenhaus, represents both Moss and Davis. And Rosenhaus has had a very cozy relationship with the Redskins in the past, negotiating big deals for Moss and running back Clinton Portis, among others.

So Rosenhaus is trying to get a deal for one of his clients, Davis, while trying to keep a deal for another one of his clients, Moss, intact.

It’s possible that the Redskins and Rosenhaus have an agreement that the agent will deliver Davis to the Redskins in exchange for the team agreeing to keep Moss at his current deal or perhaps with a minimal reduction.

There is no indication that an arrangement such as this but they are not unusual. It may not be in the best interest of the players but that is the risk they take when they sign up with a big agency like Rosenhaus’.

ETA: If anyone wants to get even more with this, Rosenhaus is also Eric Winston's agent. I'd rather keep Moss's contract in exchange for a Redskin-friendly contract from Winston.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Oof. Looks like it's going to be expensive to get a WR out of free agency.

One WR off market: Dolphins signed WR Brian Hartline to a 5-year deal worth $30.775 million, including $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

I gotta believe the Redskins won't be signing any of the top WRs with their cap situation.

 

[dgreen]

Oof. Looks like it's going to be expensive to get a WR out of free agency.

One WR off market: Dolphins signed WR Brian Hartline to a 5-year deal worth $30.775 million, including $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

I gotta believe the Redskins won't be signing any of the top WRs with their cap situation.

Well, hopefully Hankerson can take a step forward. They can't continue with someone of Josh Morgan's level being a starting WR. I like Morgan and Moss and WR3 and WR4, but they need more from WR1 and WR2.Hankerson actually appears to rank closely to Garcon according to Football Outsiders. Pro Football Focus says Hankerson is undervalued.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Oof. Looks like it's going to be expensive to get a WR out of free agency.

One WR off market: Dolphins signed WR Brian Hartline to a 5-year deal worth $30.775 million, including $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

I gotta believe the Redskins won't be signing any of the top WRs with their cap situation.

Well, hopefully Hankerson can take a step forward. They can't continue with someone of Josh Morgan's level being a starting WR. I like Morgan and Moss and WR3 and WR4, but they need more from WR1 and WR2.Hankerson actually appears to rank closely to Garcon according to Football Outsiders. Pro Football Focus says Hankerson is undervalued.

Like Garcon, though, Morgan was playing most of last season at less than 100%. Hopefully his surgeries and off season recovery allow him to play at a higher level this year. I would like Morgan to take over as the slot receiver. He's tough and doesn't mind doing "dirty work" (blocking, catching in traffic over the middle, etc.). But yeah, even that should only make him the WR3 at best. I agree that I'd also like to see Hankerson step up and be a solid WR2. Growth from players already on the roster is certainly preferable to potentially overpaying FAs.

 

[Sidewinder16]

'Skins apparently close to signing OT Tony Pashos. He's bounced around and been injured a few times, but he started in Baltimore under OL coach Chris Foerster. Has started 70 games over his career (all at RT, I think) and should be dirt cheap after spending last season unemployed due to injury recovery (don't click link if you're squeamish ).

 

[Sidewinder16]

With every CB that gets released Hall gets cheaper and cheaper. Rich Tandler writes about the ever-changing situation with Hall and his contract.

Hall will be 30 in November. The thirty-ish cornerback market is getting flooded. He is now watching as the laws of supply and demand work against him. If the Redskins give him a take it or leave it offer and he leaves it, he could find himself taking a long time to find a gig for next September and he could be working for a lot less than the Redskins were willing to pay him.

The Redskins will be confident that they can find a replacement due to the preponderance of cornerbacks out there. They probably would rather keep Hall but they can’t pay him too much.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Logan Paulsen signs a 3-year extension.

His new contract could be worth as much as $7.1 million with incentives and escalators, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported via Twitter. The deal, according to Cole, also included a $1 million signing bonus and it can also be voided after two years.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Restricted Free AgentsRFAs can be tendered at four different levels. They are:1st round tender: $2.879M2nd round tender: $2.023Moriginal round tender: $1.323Mright of first refusal: $1.323M TE Logan Paulsen - right of first refusal tender.

Paulsen's new deal makes him cheaper this year than if he was tendered. I think Tandler tweeted his new deal would basically only add ~$500k to the 2013 cap. Excellent re-signing, IMO.

 

[Sidewinder16]

D-Hall all but gone (Chris Russell tweet)?

All indications I've been given is that the #Redskins will likely part ways w/ DeAngelo Hall, as reported. "They're prolonging it" one said

 

[Sidewinder16]

Restricted Free Agents

RFAs can be tendered at four different levels. They are:

1st round tender: $2.879M

2nd round tender: $2.023M

original round tender: $1.323M

right of first refusal: $1.323M

FB Darrel Yound - rigth of first refusal tender.

Darrel Young signs an extension.

FB Darrel young re-signing to three year deal worth $6.2 million including incentives source says. #redskins

Similar to Paulsen's deal it seems, albeit a little cheaper. Two great moves. Keep a couple "real Redskins" on the roster for dirt cheap (relatively).

 

[Faust]

Washington Redskins: 2013 team needs

 

[Sidewinder16]

Lichtensteiger and Rob Jackson signed today, too. 'Steiger's was reportedly a 5-year deal.

 

[PinkydaPimp]

Anyone else over on reddit?

MY LINK

 

[Sebowski]

Anyone else over on reddit?

MY LINK

Not on reddit. Thanks for the link. I am going to read this before bed every night until the season starts:

High Points

RGIII Debut: Redskins fans hoped for the best but were prepared for the worst opening the season on the road in the Super-dome with a rookie QB at the helm. Then, suddenly, pistol formation. RGIII completed his first seven throws, with his seventh pass taken 88 yards for a TD to Pierre Garcon. RGIII ended the game going 19/26 for 320 yards and 2 TD's in a 40-32 win. Redskins fans had not seen offensive scoring and fireworks like that in over a decade. The defense was sound, limiting Drew Brees to 24/52 passing and registering 3 takeaways.

Kai Forbath: The offseason had a fierce kicking battle between Graham Gano and Neil Rackers. Both were kicking very well, and deciding who was going to be the Week 1 starter was tough. Then Mike Shanahan threw everyone for a loop and signed on Billy Cundiff, the most hated Ravens kicker of all-time. Through three weeks he was an essentially perfect 5/6 (his only miss was a 62-yard attempt at the end of the Rams game), then went 1/4 against the Bucs, but made the 41-yard game winner. After missing another one against the Falcons, Kai Forbath was brought in for a tryout and beat out Cundiff. Forbath's first FG attempt was a booming 50-yard FG against the Vikings. He would go on to set the record for most consecutive made FG's to begin a career with 17. Eleven were from 40+, and against the Ravens he made FG's from 48, 49, and the game-winner from 34 yards in OT.

Dallas Thanksgiving Game: RGII had been playing well, but the Redskins' first nationally-televised game for 2012 came on Thanksgiving Day at the Cowboys' stupid stadium. The Redskins were 4-6 and the Cowboys were 5-5, so the winner was going to be in second place behind the Giants. The Redskins came out scorching hot, scoring four TD's in the second quarter to take a 28-3 lead at half. The Cowboys would make a couple big plays in garbage time to lose 38-31. RGIII finished 19/27 for 304 yd, 4 TD, and 1 INT. Alfred Morris finished with 113 yd on 24 carries.

The ever-popular Battle of the Beltway: The Redskins were on a three-game win streak to sit at 6-6 with a renewed hope for the playoffs. The Ravens were 9-3 and looking to rebound after a close loss at home against the Steelers. The Redskins took an early 14-7 lead but Ravens came back and took an 8-point lead with 4:52 left in the 4th quarter. RGIII was injured by Haloti Ngata on a 2nd down scramble bringing in Captain Kirk Cousins for his NFL debut on a 3rd and 6. A PI call gave the Redskins a new set of downs and allowed RGIII to come back in. The Redskins drove down to the 16 yard line, but RGIII had to come out again after an intentional grounding call. In comes Kirk Cousins, who completed a 15 yard pass over the middle, then a 3rd down TD strike to Pierre Garcon. The Redskins ran a 5-wide QB draw to get the 2-point conversion and force OT. The Ravens received and went three-and-out, and newly minted rookie punt returner CB Richard Crawford took the punt return back 64 yds down to the Ravens' 24. A Kai Forbath kick gave the Redskins an unbelievable win.

Dallas Week 17 Game: Perhaps the biggest Redskins game since Superbowl XXVI in 1991. The winner gets the NFC East crown and heads to the playoffs. The loser gets to begin their off-season. With RGIII's knee in a brace, Kyle Shanahan brought the ground attack. Alfred Morris was fed 33 times for 200 yd and 3 TD. Tony Romo had a rough, rough start, throwing two INT's in the first quarter. Still, a couple of great throws kept the Cowboys in the game until an INT to OLB Rob Jackson in the 4th quarter sealed the game. The Redskins won 28-18, completing their 7-game win streak, winning the NFC East title for the first time since 1999, and ending the greatest run to the playoffs in Redskins history.

Pierre Garçon: The Redskins were criticized for signing Garçon to a large deal and giving him "#1 receiver" money when he supposedly wasn't good enough to be a top target guy. Despite his injury hindering his playing time Garçon put up 633 yards and 4 TD's on 44 receptions through roughly half a season of play and proved to be RGIII's favorite target early on with explosive play-making ability. He was a difference maker on the field and when healthy will continue to break away from the stigma of not being a top receiver.

Redskins Pro-Bowlers: RGIII was the only rookie QB selected to the Pro-Bowl this year and not as an alternate, ironically he was the only rookie QB who didn't play due to injury. Trent Williams, LT and Lorenzo Alexander, LB were both selected to the Pro-Bowl roster as well with LB's London Fletcher and Ryan Kerrigan making appearances as alternates getting the nod to play.

Rookies: It truly was the year of the rookie and The Redskins were no exception with Robert Griffin III, Alfred Morris, Kirk Cousins and even kicker Kai Forbath lifting the team and making them contenders.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Nick Sundberg is re-signing. Per a Rich Campbell tweet, that leaves NT Chris Baker and Brandon Banks as the only RFAs not re-signed. I'm guessing neither get offers from the 'Skins.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Per a Rich Campbell tweet, that leaves NT Chris Baker and Brandon Banks as the only RFAs not re-signed. I'm guessing neither get offers from the 'Skins.

I was only half right.

The Redskins on Monday tendered restricted-free-agent nose tackle Chris Baker a low-level qualifying offer, and they also informed return specialist Brandon Banks they will not re-sign him, according to people who requested anonymity because the Redskins did not publicize the moves.

Baker is free to negotiate with other teams, but the Redskins secured the right to match any offer to which he agrees with another club. The tender is worth $1.32 million for next season, and that amount immediately counts against the Redskins’ penalty-reduced 2013 salary cap.

The low level qualifying offer to which the Redskins tendered Baker means they would not receive any compensation if Baker signed with another team.

In retrospect, Neild is still on his rookie contract (i.e. very cheap) and Brace can be cut anytime with no cap ramifications, so both are low risk options as backup NTs. Baker seems to have showed enough last season that the team is willing to pay him like the de facto #2 NT on the roster (ETA: if he doesn't get paid more by someone else, that is; that seems unlikely to me, but what do I know).

 

[Sidewinder16]

Shanny and Allen have scheduled a presser this afternoon at 4:30 to talk free agency.

ETA: Rich Tandler's thoughts on the upcoming press conference.

Normally, a post about a news conference before it takes place would be pointless. And maybe this post will be, too, but I think there are some interesting aspects to the presser the Redskins scheduled for 4:30 today.

For one thing, the Redskins aren’t required to hold a press conference prior to the start of free agency. Pre-draft pressers are mandatory for NFL teams but nothing is required between the end of the season and mid-April. The Redskins rarely speak to the media when they don’t have to. For example, while most NFL teams have a representative take the podium at the NFL Combine, the Redskins were one of three teams that did not. So the fact that they are going to bring in the media when they don’t have to indicates to me that they have a message they want to deliver.

A pre-free agency press conference is not unprecedented for the Shanahan Redskins. They had one in 2010, his first year in Washington. There they announced the release of 10 veterans, including running backs Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El, cornerback Fred Smoot, and guard Randy Thomas.

Allen handled that press conference. Both he and Shanahan will be doing this one. It’s the first time that the head coach and general manager have appeared at a press event together since the one to introduce Shanahan when he was hired.

So, what message do they want to get out? Shanahan has the final say in free agency including who is released from the roster. Allen’s area is the salary cap. Since they can’t sign any free agents until tomorrow, and they are unlikely to be big players due to the $18 million salary cap penalty anyway, they’re not going to be talking about new players.

One topic that is sure to come up is the players the Redskins re-signed over the weekend. But while the likes of Kory Lichtensteiger and Logan Paulsen are important players, you don’t call a press conference to discuss their returns.

There could be an announcement that some players have been released in order to get under the cap. As noted, that was the main topic of the last pre-free agent news conference.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Well, no need to wait for big news. I guess the press conference will make this kind of stuff official.

Redskins have released DeAngelo Hall, source says.

 

[Apple Jack]

Well, no need to wait for big news. I guess the press conference will make this kind of stuff official.

Redskins have released DeAngelo Hall, source says.

For them to do a press conference, it's going to be more than just Hall.

 

[dgreen]

Moss and Carriker restructured.

 

[PinkydaPimp]

Moss and Carriker restructured.

sweet. i didnt want moss to go.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

Looks like Carrkier actually took a pay cut as well. What a team guy, great to keep him in the rotation.

 

[PinkydaPimp]

what did they discuss at the presser?

 

[RGIII HTTR]

what did they discuss at the presser?

Bruce Allen said "There's been some wild speculation about what might happen...to what I call a travesty of fairness." He basically said they are not done pursuing the matter, but would go to litigation. Said NFL and NFLPA approved all contract, Redskins were never notified about cap penalty, they found out by agents and media. Said they were never warned either.Shanny: Talked how hard it was to cut D. Hall. Hall did everything he ever asked and it is solely a cap cut, not because of anything else. Wanted to be fair to him, so he could have a chance to earn what he deserved. Says that he's said from day one, hard work is what is rewarded, so cutting Hall was contrary to that and he didn't like it. Said rewarding in-house comes first before going out the house. He said that the cap penalty is basically like stripping them of 5-7 of the best players on the roster, gave Baltimore as an example of amount compared to their roster. Said he was so happy their draft picks have performed as well as they have or else the organization would have suffered much more.Both look forward to FA...