Guess the best way to answer this is judging the reactions of players when I spoke to them immediately after the Jason Campbell trade. While they liked Campbell, they never even mentioned his name because they were so ecstatic about getting McNabb. Of the three or four players I talked to, I had to bring up Jason’s name. That told me everything I needed to know. Also, they know McNabb has done it; they were hoping Jason would do it. Big difference. It’s also McNabb’s confidence and he’s a stronger leader. Add it up and, no, it’s not overstated.

JK

John,

Is there any chance the Redskins will give Bryant a shot at NT this weekend?  Houston’s Arian Foster looked stout running the ball Sunday, and the ‘Boys guards looked to be getting to the second level awfully easy, making it tough on Fletcher & McIntosh.   Neither Maake or Albert looked particularly effective against the run, at least yet.

 

Thanks,

    

Steve Davis    


Steve,

I doubt it. I liked Bryant in the preseason, but they really like Maake and while I was down on him this preseason, he was not moved off the ball as much vs. Dallas. Maybe my expectations are low, but he wasn’t as big an issue as I thought he would be. However, London Fletcher wasn’t exactly running clean to the ball so that is a problem and I’m not confident that they can stop the run consistently. And that comes back to the line. Albert is terrible vs. the run at nose guard; I don’t think he always knows how to engage the center and when he penetrates, teams typically hit it the other way. It’s worth watching; if NT is an issue in a 3-4, big problems follow on the ground.

JK

Hi John,

 

Why is Vonnie Holliday being used in nickel packages rather than Haynesworth?  On what planet is VH a better interior pass-rusher than AH?  Maybe AH doesn’t have the techniques down to read-and-react in the 3-4 scheme on other downs, but it is beyond me why this makes sense on likely passing downs.  Can you explain?

 

Henry Whitaker


Henry,

Holliday is a decent pass rusher, but I think he’s more effective when paired with a talent like Haynesworth. He wasn’t exactly getting close to the QB, though the quick throws didn’t always help. However, the big difference now is that Holliday understands where he’s supposed to go and how he must work within the scheme to set up others. That’s a big distinction. Holliday has a very professional attitude, one that any coach would like.  It’s really about trust, I think. They trust Holliday to do it right. And, for now, I’d say opposing offenses are happy with the Redskins decision. Of course, if Haynesworth hasn’t exactly done a lot when playing whether in the preseason or this past Sunday.

JK

John,

One thing I don’t get is why we aren’t seeing 2 TE sets.  Our WR corps is subpar but we have 2 great pass catching TEs why aren’t we terrorizing defenses with them?  Zorn promised to to do this and didn’t.  Shanahan has mentioned it too, but I don’t see it on the field.  Do you have any insight or could you attain some on this topic?

Thanks,

Ryan


Ryan,

I was surprised by that as well. Fred Davis did play around 20 snaps and he did go out on some routes. Did not sound like he made the most of his chances. I think it’s something to pay attention to, especially if the other wideouts aren’t a factor at all in the passing game. I will say, Davis did not exactly distinguish himself with his blocking and that has to impact his snaps.

JK

Hi John,

Really like your analysis and writing on Redskins Confidential. I was wondering when you review the games are you using the 11-on-11 tape or are you just looking at the TV feed?

Don

Fairfax, Va.

Don,

Thanks, much appreciated. I would love to watch the coaches game tape, but we don’t have access to it. So I watch the games again on TV, often rewinding plays 8-10 times and sometimes watching the game again twice. It helps to ask players and coaches questions about techniques, etc., so you know what to look for. I’m not alone; other reporters out there watch the games again. There’s so much to do during games with charting each play that it’s hard to see all that you need to live – and I can’t control the remote! As my wife would tell you, that drives me nuts.

JK

John,

Why is Devin Thomas not playing? I understand Shanahan wants him to be more dedicated & professional in practice, but isn’t the objective to have your best playmakers on the field? No way is a 38 year old Galloway & a 2 TD pass dropping WR like Armstrong better than Thomas. He needs to be playing & it is frustrating that he is not.

Thanks,

Mike Souza

San Jose, CA.


Mike,

Frustrating for him, too. Even he doesn’t understand why he’s not playing more, though he has talked to his position coach and offensive coordinator about it. This could take a while. Mike Shanahan is huge on doing things a certain way and it’s worked for him. Devin is a talented guy, but I also had one teammate in February say that he didn’t think it would ever click for him, citing some of the same reasons . Really, it does come down to how he practices and the inconsistencies they see during drills have showed up in games. It’s the same reason Albert Haynesworth isn’t playing more.

JK

Hey John,

I was wondering if something happened to Jammal Brown [vs. Dallas].  I was pretty sure I saw Stephon Heyer playing RT towards the end of the game.

Thanks,

Jeremy Kreitman


Jeremy,

I’m sure you know by now, but nothing happened to Brown in the game. They were concerned about his ability to play a full game so Stephon subbed throughout. Nothing more than that. I would anticipate Brown playing closer to a full game this week.

JK

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