Redskins mailbag: Ask John

John: With Santana Moss gone I see this getting even worse rather than better.  Defenses are not going to have to focus on stopping Moss because of that I think we see more blitzes (that extra defender who doubles Moss being free to blitz) and we see an even better DB on Moss’ replacement.  In other words I see a boatload of difficulties for the passing game.  What do you think?  Am I over-reacting or is this concern justified?

Gary E

Gary: Moss remains an effective player – more so than the guys who will replace him – and this offense lacks enough such players. There will be an effect; talked to Matt Bowen for my Expert’s Take feature and he said it means the secondary won’t have as much stress. But it’s not as if Moss was tearing it up; in the last three games he had a combined 94 yards receiving. They did move the ball through the air without him in the second half last weekend. But Moss ran well after the catch on those short routes.

JK

John: What were the Shanahan’s thinking during the critical last 5 minutes before halftime and first 5 minutes out of the half?  Our team is built to play when close or when ahead, with 36 seconds in the half we had accomplished that and should have gone into the half tied, with first possession to open the second half, just take a knee.  After the Gaffney fumble and field goal we came out, put together a decent drive and had a chance to pin the Panthers deep using Rocca and putting our defense in position to play solid and keep field position in our favor.  Instead we take a sack on 4^th down and put our defense in a position where yielding 15 yards puts the Panthers in field goal position.  2 plays later we are down 16-6 and playing from behind.

Our coaching staff has to know that we win grind it out football games, where we win the field position battle and rely on the defense.  We could have taken a knee to close the first half, punted to open the second half had Carolina pinned inside their own 15 with the score tied 6-6.  Why do the Shanahan’s, especially Kyle, continue to coach this time like it has big play capability rather than the 3 yards and a cloud of dust team we need to be?

Dan

Dan: They are aggressive in what they want to do; sometimes they seem to operate as who they want to be rather than who they are. Mike Shanahan loves going for it on fourth and short. Often times I like that attitude, but not in that case. Others disagree and that’s fine. I just felt their offense had not been reliable and they had a chance to pin the Panthers. I did not like how they handled the two plays – throwing on both third and 2 and fourth and 2 and their inexperience showed in how they handled Carolina’s blitz. On the plays before halftime, they had 36 seconds, one time out and they were on the 31. They could have taken a knee; I’d probably have run a draw and see what happened first. On the second down, they threw to a reliable receiver who fumbled for only the third time in his career. Still, after an incomplete on first down and with a reshuffled line and QB making his first start, I’d have been a little more conservative.

JK

John: I’m not taking anything away from John Beck, in fact, I am really hoping he does improve and surprise all the doubters. However, assuming that the Skins do decide to try to go to the draft next year for a franchise QB, do you think they would have to limit themselves to candidates that would be ready to start right away or do you think they would go a more developmental approach, a.k.a. someone like Ponder was for the Vikings this year?

Bob Milstead

Bob: Initially I would have said they’ll take the best talent. But there were quarterbacks in this past class that the Redskins liked but who felt they would take too long to mature. So, really, it would depend on how fast they think a guy can get there – a year, three years? If he has to sit a year, that’s not bad. The key is Beck’s performance. If he plays well, then there’s less urgency to have a young guy play.

JK

John:  Which young receiver do you see as having the best chance to break out in this offense? What does each guy need to do to improve his chances at starting next year or beyond?

Thanks,
Jeff Caras

Jeff: Austin is more polished right now – good routes; crisper in and out of breaks but not a burner — than the other two so I’d expect him to be a little more involved in the passing game. He seems to have a little rapport with John Beck, too. Paul needs more experience running routes; that was not a strength at Nebraska. He also has small hands, which led to drops in college (but they’ve been solid since camp opened). Hankerson has the most talent, but needs to focus harder on the details and his hands. And after the miscommunication last week in which he ran a wrong route on an interception thrown to his area, it’ll take time for Beck, and the coaches, to have that trust.

JK

John: Is it me or does Rob Jackson spell Rak on a good many plays? I also don’t see Kerrigan leave the field?

Rob Lewis

Rob: Thanks. Yes, Rob is playing more and more each game for Brian Orakpo. Really, it comes down to Orakpo needing a breather because of the pounding he takes from double teams, etc. Orakpo takes himself out of the game. Jackson said he played 10 snaps Sunday. Jackson said the big reason he’s improved? Where he looks when he rushes. In the past he said he’d look at the quarterback while trying to beat his man. Now he beats his man, then finds the quarterback. He also has terrific hands. As for Kerrigan, he’s played every snap this season.

JK

John: A couple questions. Jabar Gaffney has seemed to shy away from any contact since the first game of the season.  I’m sure he’s a good route runner, but effort, most noticeably the last couple games seems to be less than desirable.  The fumble at the end of the 1st half in Carolina was inexcusable for a veteran knowing he’s in traffic, but isn’t the cause for the question of do you think it may be time to get the youngsters like Paul and Austin more involved?
 
My 2nd question involves the corners.  Honestly, no one would have stopped some of the precise passes that Newton made, but either the DB’s aren’t prepared or play a much too soft coverage technique.  I haven’t seen anything positive from Kevin Barnes.  He can’t seem to cover anyone and is a terrible tackler.  He may have been a ‘kill shot’ guy at Maryland, but his lack of any obvious progress in 3 years makes me wonder what kind of help is needed before next year.  Your thoughts?

Steve Davis

Steve: I agree. How’s that? OK, I’ll expand a little bit. With Gaffney, actually, I would disagree. I didn’t see that as shying away from contact as much and I haven’t seen that being an issue. Maybe I need to pay closer attention, but that hasn’t struck me. What does strike me with him is how little yards after the catch he gets. The young guys will start playing more, but I’m not a proponent of playing them just to play them. They need to be ready first and these guys are trending that way. Hankerson, for example, is not ready for an increased role.

JK

John: I’m not sure if you have an answer to this or not, but maybe T. Austin or a few others who have been on the practice squad would contribute. I’m just curious how the practice squad is used in practice? Are they all one group or are p-squad players just mixed in where they are needed in practice? How do things change once you are moved from p-squad to 53 man?

Thanks,

Rodge Stumbaugh

Rodge: The practice squaders practice with their respective position groups and then work on the scout team against the starters. The Redskins say they have a 61-man roster, not a 53 man.

JK

John: Will this year’s lockout and subsequent compressed free agency period have any carry over effect to next year’s free agency period or did everybody pretty much do what they would have anyway? Also, what draft picks do the Skins have for 2012? I think they picked up at least one extra for next year for Haynesworth or McNabb, but have no idea what we have given up in the past couple of years or what “conational pick” could mean to us one way or the other (although the conditional deal may not be calculable at this point anyway).

Also, how do practice squads work as far as far as getting other teams players. Can the the Skins get another teams practice squad players  right now without compensating the other team and does the now-expired trade deadline have any bearing on the issue. Keep up the good work.

Charlie C.

Charlie: Thanks…. I haven’t looked forward yet to the offseason and what they might be able to do financially. But I didn’t hear of many teams not spending cash this summer to save it for next offseason. As far as the draft picks, they have eight draft picks – they have an extra fourth (from the Jason Campbell trade) and an extra sixth rounder (from the Donovan McNabb deal). They surrendered a conditional pick, a sixth or seventh for Tim Hightower.

The Redskins can sign a player off another team’s practice squad – if they’re going to put him on the 53-man roster. But you can’t sign one off the practice squad just to put him on yours. The trade deadline has no bearing on the practice squad transactions.

JK

John: Is having Brandon Banks on the roster a luxury that the Redskins can no longer afford, given our lack of depth at almost every position.  He seemed to be most effective on kickoff returns, but with the new kick off rule his effectiveness has been taken away on that. His punt returns this season haven’t warranted keeping him since all he does is return kicks. I am a fan of Brandon Banks, but unless they can work him into the offense he is too much of a specialty luxury for this team given how the season is unfolding.

Jimmie Crowder

Jimmie: I don’t think they’re at that point yet. Brandon can still be explosive and all it takes is one or two games to change things. Teams seem to be doing a better job of kicking high, allowing the coverage to get downfield better. And it seems like teams are more disciplined on the edges, forcing him back inside. That said, two games ago Banks had a 47-yard kick return. I’m also not sure whose spot he’s holding up that could help this team more than his potential kick/punt returns.

JK

John: What do the coaches think of Royster?  I would think if they thought highly of him that he would have been activated by now. Second, if they don’t activate Royster, are they really going to go to Buffalo with only 2 active running backs?  I find that hard to believe.

Steve

Steve: They seem to like him, but it’s also hard to gauge how much he’s improved during practices. They don’t hit enough to really tell how someone is running. They like how he worked in pass protection this summer. But, yeah, the fact that they haven’t activated him yet tells you what they think. Also, keep in mind that last year they typically only kept two running backs active during a game. So even if he was signed to the roster, he wouldn’t be active. So why make this move now? Darrel Young would serve as a third running back should something happen.

JK

John: Cam Newton has shocked me with his accuracy and poise under pressure. Some of the throws he made last week were Manningesque. Do you agree that this kid is already the real deal? On to the Skins…Looking at our schedule, I can circle 5 games as possible wins (Buffalo, Seattle, Miami, Minnesota and a division game vs Philly, Dallas or NY). I know we can certainly finish lower than 8-8, but any hope for an above .500 season at this point realistically speaking?

Rich in Tampa

Rich: I liked watching Cam a lot. The real deal? Hard to say; he’s certainly doing a terrific job. But he’s only played seven games; a key for him is how he responds when defenses start to see what he can do. Carolina did a good job of keeping him out of trouble by having him throw a lot of horizontal routes or deep balls; not much over the middle. But I really liked watching him and am anxious to see how his career unfolds. Also, the questions about him were much more character-based, at least from the people I spoke to.  As far as the record, this is a funny league. I don’t see a collapse. I picked them to be 7-9 and still think that’s about right.

JK

John: Personally, I think Niles Paul was the top steal of a terrific draft for Washington. With Paul and Hankerson about to get on the field, I’ve got a question about scouting. It seems like the numbers keep changing on many players. When he was drafted, Niles Paul was 6’2″ and ran a 4.44 40 yard dash (via Google). In the Post this morning he is down to 6-1, and I remember a couple of weeks ago when you said he wasn’t very fast. What happened? Are his numbers wrong? Hankerson’s tangible measurements seem to fluctuate a lot from reporter to reporter as well (he too is shrinking). What’s the deal on this phenomenon? Is there no consistent and reliable source of information for measurables?

Also, what’s “fast” now? I always thought it went like this for 40 times. 4.2 is freakish, Darrel Green fast. 4.3 is rare, Chris Johnson, Desean Jackson game breaking fast. 4.4 is a very fast WR. 4.5 better have great hands and run great routes. 4.6 you better be Michael Irvin or Jerry Rice (Rice reportedly ran a 4.7 at the combine). Yes? No?

Stephen Harper

Stephen:  There are a lot of varying sizes and speeds in part because colleges fudge numbers or the track they run on is faster. Some schools are notorious for having faster 40-times consistently. I go with what comes out from the combine; much more official. There, he was measured at 6-foot-1 and he ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash.  So Paul has good, but not great speed at receiver. I would agree with your thoughts on speed at receiver.

JK

John: I know most people are going to be like “Hankerson got his chance and blew it”, but to me he needs to get more than one play and he needs to be on the field for a whole game to see if he can be effective….what have you been thinking? On defense this week, it appeared that Landry was out of position A LOT as I was watching the game, but you didn’t mention him as a “dud”…did you notice that or was it just me?

Thanks,
Martin Hain

Martin: Completely agree. I’m not going to write off a guy based on one play. He’s been getting positive reviews in practice; I just think it will take him a while to get going. He has talent that Washington needs.  I didn’t think Landry was that much out of position. But he also likes to freelance a little bit (it’s why it’s important to have guys with him who understand what he’s doing).

JK

John: With the circumstances that Beck faces — no Cooley, Moss, Hightower (their best RB blocker), Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, how more difficult do you think Beck’s job is compared to Rex who had a relatively healthy squad or do you feel these losses make a minimal difference?

Mike 

Mike: It makes a difference anytime you lose good players. But Beck wasn’t going to ever take over a high-powered attack; inexperienced players rarely get that opportunity. I think both QBs suffer from not having a big-time receiver.

JK