There's going to be blood in the streets of Redskins Park pretty soon, and there's still some guesswork involved in who will survive the final cuts. I made my guess at the final 53-man roster as training camp opened, and to no one's surprise even the first 5 cuts handed me some misses. Today Jason Reid of Redskins Insider gave his prediction. Read it here, and below I will lay out some of his interesting or controversial predictions in bold and follow them with my thoughts.
Quarterbacks: Brennan beats Daniel for #3
If I had to put money on it I would agree with Reid, but I sense a bit of exasperation on Zorn's part with Colt Brennan's insistence on freelancing. On the other hand, at the beginning of camp Zorn seemed insistent on giving Colt a chance to develop, so he may not have played himself out of a job just yet.
Running Backs: None of the new guys make it
I have trouble with this one. Dominique Dorsey and Marcus Mason have both been given a lot of preseason playing time, and so was Anthony Alridge once he was finally healthy. And all three wouldn't have been brought it in the first place unless the coaches (or front office) really wanted to add something to the backfield. Dorsey weighs about 87 pounds, Alridge has been hurt most of the time, and Marcus Mason still doesn't contribute much on special teams or pass-block well (though it appears he is a little better than last year in that regard) , so all have at least one strike against them. But the new running backs have been too much of a theme this offseason to think it will all lead to nothing. Now the real question is who would get cut to make room for the one of these guys who would make it...
Todd Yoder sticks another year
Hey, I just found an extra spot for a running back! Of course Fred Davis has looked less than polished, so maybe Zorn will want to keep an experienced second tight end.
Renaldo Wynn makes the team
Why? I don't see how he contributes anything more than a younger guy like Rob Jackson or Alex Buzbee.
Darrel Young comes out of nowhere
Reid has 8 linebackers making the team. I'm not sure we need eight, and this would be an ideal spot to make room for Mason or Dorsey.
Suisham is the kicker
As I mentioned in the special-teams overview, I think the kicker should be chosen based on kickoff distance. In the very limited sample provded by preseason Dave Rayner has appeared superior in that regard, so without knowing what Danny Smith has been watching in practices I wouldn't be shocked if a change is made here.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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I think it's ridiculous that we have to think about letting loose on potential big-time upside in a 4th QB or 4th RB in part because we need a specialized long snapper.
ReplyDeleteNot arguing for that kind of change by the Redskins. But when will an NFL center realize that simply by adding a long snap to their repetoire, they could add huge value to a team? That's an extra lineman or other roster spot that teams like the Skins could desperately use...
That's not unreasonable. Even if long-snapping is a very specialized skill set, you would think that at least on occassion a particularly gifted center would show up who could fill both roles succesfully (I've often thought the same way about kickers and punters). The explanation may be mundane: the centers are required throughout the offensive practice, so a long-snapper needs to be limited to the one job so he can spend all his time practicing with the specialists.
ReplyDeleteThat's why they invented the practice squad...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you're getting at there. If you're suggesting that a PS player be used to snap for special teams practice and then having a regular center long-snap during the game, I think that's unworkable. Alot of chemistry and timing is required among snapper, holder, and kicker and they have to be getting the ball from the same guy the practiced with.
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