Is RGIII Destined for the Redskins?

Editor’s note: The following article comes from Bradley Kirkland whom was recently added to our staff. Bradley (as you’ll soon discover) is a Washington Redskins fan, which should balance out my Giants-loving-self. Please welcome Bradley aboard.

Let me start this blog by saying I am one of those people who believes there are more ways to do things than ‘the right way’, or the way someone else is doing it. What worked for the 49ers this year – a new coach in Harbaugh who stuck with Alex Smith, rode the defense and motivated his young and extremely talented team with energy and passion – wouldn’t necessarily work for the Redskins. Or any other team, for that matter.

So, in previewing the upcoming draft and the 2012 free agency class, my opinions are based on what I think will be best for the Redskins specifically, given who we have as coaches, the owner and the kind of players we already have. In doing so, I’ve come to the conclusion that my Washington Redskins, for the first time in many (long, stressful, painful) years, are set up to take some major steps this year.

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2012 NFL Draft: The Redskins are in a Good Place, Thanks to Shanahan and Allen - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

What Happened?

The Cowboys were listed by many as a rebuilding team, ridding themselves of the contracts of Marion Barber, Roy Williams, Leonard Davis, Marc Columbo, and Andre Gurode.  To many this season was quite the surprise as the Dallas Cowboys were competing for the NFC East championship before a crushing defeat by the New York Giants.

The good news is that for every bad thing there is always something good to reflect on.  In 2011, Tony Romo played arguably his best season posting a 102.5 passer rating, 4184 yards, and 31 touchdowns.  Additionally, Sean Lee turned into the stud he showed he could be in Penn State, Rookie DeMarco Murray flashed signs of being the franchise back the Cowboys have lacked since Hall Of Fame RB Emmitt Smith, and Tyron Smith cemented himself as possibly the next great Cowboys offensive lineman.

Whats Lies Ahead?

Well Rob Ryans defense didn’t quite flourish like it was supposed to.   We all knew that DeMarcus Ware would be dominant and that Jay Ratliff would be able to handle the middle of the defensive line, but besides that we got much of what we expected from the secondary that has been horrendous since the departure of Darren Woodson.  The Cowboys are also probably tired of seeing Phil Costa and Kowalski throwing snaps over Romo’s head and with Kosier getting older the offensive line youth movement will need some revamping.  That being said there are still many holes to fill and some future prospects who could become stars in Dallas.

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Dallas Cowboys: Past and Future; Courtney Upshaw on his way - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Will it Last/ Will they get In?

How many times do we see a team or a player exceed expectations in a football game and we think, there is no way that can last.  That player is either too young or not that good.  That team had an easy week or the ball just bounced that way.  Most times it does not last, but every so often those early signs are premonitions of what is to come.  In this weekly column we will look at 3 players who jump out.  Also we will be looking at the playoff picture by conference.

Players

1. Laurent Robinson:     After bouncing around from team to team, Robinson has found a home with the Cowboys.  His numbers through 9 games are pretty good:  33 receptions, 488 yards, and 5 touchdowns.  He runs precise routes, shows great speed, and reliable hands.  Robinson’s numbers are high due to numerous injuries to Miles Austin.  With the season winding down I believe Robinson will continue to get looks do to two reasons.  One, the Cowboys are a passing team and Romo will throw the ball 25-30 times a week.  Two, hamstring injuries do not go away in the cold weather.  Austin will need time to heal and that means Robinson will be Romo’s #3 target behind Witten and Bryant. Will Last

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Rex Grossman's bold prediction that the Redskins would win the division looks better and better every week, because the N.F.C. East looks worse and worse (picture source insidetheiggles.com)

It’s long been assumed that the N.F.C. West should be renamed to the N.F.C. Worst, but on Sunday the N.F.C. East staked it’s claim to be called the N.F.C. Least with two brutal losses in the only games they played on Sunday (both Dallas and Washington had a bye).  In a division that has been one of the best divisions in football in the past decade (every team has been to the playoffs at least once), people were expecting a lot from the N.F.C. East heading into this season, but so far through the first five weeks the N.F.C. East really looks down.  Rex Grossman’s “absurd” prediction that the Washington Redskins will win the division looks better every week.

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The N.F.C. East Lays an Egg. Rex Grossman Might be Right about Redskins - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

Nnadmi Asmougha stole all of the headlines, but the best Eagles off-season transaction could prove to be the big man, Cullen Jenkins (picture source packersplayers.blogspot.com)

Free Agency isn’t over yet, but everyone’s opened up their camps and the majority of the big signings have occurred. How have teams fared let’s start with the A.F.C and N.F.C. East teams. And how they have done through the free agent frenzy opening weekend frenzy.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins were super busy during the off-season making a fury of moves. They have signed 11 players since free agency opened with four of them their own players: LB HB Blades, T Jamaal Brown and Cornerbacks Philip Buchanon and  Bryon Westbrook.

The Additions:

Josh Wilson, CB, Baltimore

The Redskins best signing. The team was desperate for cornerback help and an infusion of young cornerback talent. Wilson is solid and was had for a reasonable price. He’s started 21 games the past two seasons. Good pickup.

Dante Stallworth, WR, Baltimore

Stallworth has always been a one trick pony, but he’s past his prime. The Redskins don’t have much at Wide receiver, so this is a fine move, but I don’t expect it to make a huge impact.

Shayne Graham, K, Patriots (Bengals)

Graham has been a pretty good kicker his entire career so this isn’t a bad move.

Barry Coefield, DT, Giants

Coefield was a player the Giants wanted to keep, but his price range was too rich for the Giants asking because of how up against the cap the Giants were prior to free agency.  Coefield has played his entire career in the 43, and might have been more valuable to the Giants, than the Redskins. The Redskins also arguably overpaid for him, but Coefield is a very solid player and could be a player that fits well in the 34 because he’s not much of a glory hound and will do the dirty work.

Kellen Clemens, QB, Jets

Not a great signing, just another backup QB talent that’ll be vying for the title of worst starting quarterback in the league. But this is probably his best chance to start, ever. Good signing for Kellen Clemens, but a mediocre one for the Redskins.

Stephen Bowen, DL, Dallas

Redskins again reach into the N.F.C. East to improve their line depth and rotation.

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We Know DeMarcus Ware and the Rest of the N.F.C. East Can Rush the Passer, But Are They the Best Front 7? (Picture source cowboys.belogblog.com)

I took a couple week haitius from my ranking the divisions series, but I thought I’d get back to it today by ranking the division by the front 7. Originally I was going to rank the defensive lines, but I think with the huge difference between a 43 and 34 defensive line I should just do the front seven overall.

8. N.F.C. West

The front seven is all about stopping the run and rushing the passer and the N.F.C. West is not very good at that. Who’s the most feared pass rusher in the N.F.C. West? No one. The 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks all felt their pass rush was lacking last season. The lead sack person for the Cardinals was Calais Campbell with six sacks and I”m not sure anyone believes Chris Clemons is for real. The Rams have a decent pass rush that should get better with Robert Quinn and the 49ers were led by Justin Smith with 8.5 sacks (which is very good). The front seven of the 49ers is not bad, they just need more of a pass rush. With the drafting of Aldon Smith they hope they have found that for the future.

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Ranking the Divisions: Front 7 - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football

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Chris Johnson Had a "Down Year" Last Year, but is Still one of the top Running backs in the league(Picture source: titansgab.com)

So far in the first two ranking the teams by divisions the N.F.C. East has been the best because of talented they are at the top and how much depth is throughout the division. Let’s see if anyone is better than the N.F.C. East runningbacks.

#8 AFC North

Ray Rice

Rashard Mendnhall

Peyton Hillis

This low rankings is probably because I don’t truly believe in Peyton Hillis and Cedric Benson might be leaving the division this year and he also had somewhat of a down year last year. Mendenhall is a very nice running back. Willis McGahee and La’Ron McClain are the two best running backs for depth here.

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Rankings the Divisions by Runningback: Can Anyone Top the NFC East - NFL Mocks - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football