1. Antwaan Randle El will be the main punt returner again, but Santana Moss and even DeAngelo Hall will be mixed in on occasion. Randle El MUST do a better job of hitting the holes. Too often he makes multiple moves only to go nowhere. He’s at his best when he makes one move and then hits the hole. The coaches would like that, too. Don’t expect a young guy to emerge with this role. The coaches have to trust them back there and it’s unlikely they’ll get that opportunity. Special teams coach Danny Smith said there likely will be more returns by committee, with Randle El handling the bulk of the duties.
2. The kicking competition is open, sort of. Shaun Suisham has a better career average (77.9) than Dave Rayner (71.2), but it’s not enough of an edge to warrant an automatic spot. But he has a big leg and the coaches like him, so it would be an upset to see Rayner win. The big question will be how Danny Smith divides the kicks. Most likely he’ll go by feel and keep both of them ready for each preseason game.
3. The punting situation is solid. Hunter Smith is a real punter. Listen to Danny Smith as to what that means to him — and the coverage unit. Last year, he said, ”We didn’t know where the ball was gonna be and neither did the punter.” Their situation, he admitted, was terrible and, he said, they finally have a legitimate NFL punter. Hunter Smith is also considered an outstanding holder.
4. James Thrash and Khary Cambpell will be missed. Thrash retired and Campbell remains unsigned, robbing the Redskins of two of their top special teamers a year ago. As Danny Smith said, it’s like taking away a team’s top two rushers or blockers. Maybe it’s not quite like that, but you understand their importance to him. Who will emerge to fill their void? That’s a big question to watch.
5. Danny Smith remains a fantastic quote.
On Mike Sellers trying to coach players during the special teams work today, ”Mike do a lot of coaching here because Mike don’t want to do a lot of running. … I have to remind Mike that he’s not the first Redskin to go to the Pro Bowl. … A lot of times when you don’t correct them they think they’re better than they are and I would put him in that category. But he does know what we do and how we do it. He’s been with me and he knows what I want and Mike wants everyone to know that he’s the boss.”
