Five questions facing the Redskins entering Week 1 By Mike Jones September 1, 2014 The preseason is officially in the books, and now the Washington Redskins kick off their preparations for their season opener in Houston on Sunday. The team did a little tinkering with the roster on Sunday after hammering out an initial list of 53 players by the league deadline. Washington also filled eight of their 10 practice squad slots. Things ramp up this week. The energy level increases, as does the sense of urgency. The studying of opponents, game-planning and strategizing all begins. Here are five questions facing the Redskins as they prep for Sunday. Hopefully we find the answers to most of them as the week progresses. 1.) Where is Robert Griffin III’s confidence level? - The preseason didn’t end well for the young quarterback. But he played down his struggles from the Ravens game and said he sees improvement both in his individual game, and in the offense as a whole. Jay Gruden says Griffin just needs to play with more decisiveness and get rid of the ball more quickly. Griffin has had a few days to digest the good, bad and ugly from the preseason, and now turns his attention to Houston. We should hear from him today. 2.) Who starts at strong safety? - The initial 53-man roster featured Ryan Clark, Bacarri Rambo, Trenton Robinson and Akeem Davis. But the the team waived Davis to make room for former Broncos safety Duke Ihenacho. For now, it appears that Rambo and Clark will both start, but anything could change between now and then. Rambo will look to prove he can continue to play at an improved level as he takes advantage of Brandon Meriweather‘s suspension. 3.) What does Duke Ihenacho have to offer? - It’s a very good question. The third-year pro last season came out of nowhere to start for the Broncos, recording 73 tackles and three forced fumbles. But Denver deemed him expendable after signing T.J. Ward this offseason, and after getting a healthy Quinton Carter back in the mix. Washington’s coaches are intrigued, but it could take a little time for Ihenacho to learn Washington’s system to the point where he can truly showcase his capabilities. Can he do so before Meriweather returns on Sept. 16? 4.) Who else signs to the practice squad? - The Redskins on Sunday signed eight players to their practice squad, and two openings remain. They plan to sign Davis to the practice squad once he clears waivers. Meanwhile, the Redskins informed running back Lache Seastrunk’s camp Sunday evening that they don’t plan on signing him to their practice squad – news that came as a surprise to the sixth-round pick. So, What will the Redskins do with the final practice squad opening? 5.) Who starts at QB for Houston? - The Texans on Sunday acquired Ryan Mallett via a trade from the New England Patriots. Ryan Fitzpatrick has served as the starter through the preseason, but he has completed only 58.1 percent of his passes while leading a struggling offense. Mallett – a first-third-round pick in 2011 – is believed to have good upside. But it’s hard to say if he’ll come in and unseat Fitzpatrick as the starter in one week’s time. **************************************************** Need to Know: 5 observations on the Redskins’ 53-man roster Rich Tandler Sep 1, 2014 Here is what you need to know on this Monday, September 1, six days before the Redskins open their season against the Texans. Nickel coverage-Five observations about the Redskins’ 53-man roster: —The waiver claim of Broncos safety Duke Ihenacho makes a lot of sense. It’s hard for a team that’s as needy at safety as the Redskins to turn down the chance to get a player who started 14 games and three playoff games, including the Super Bowl. According to some reports he is a box safety with limited coverage skills. The fact that he’s not an all-around safety is not surprising since such players are very rarely available on the waiver wire. We will see how quickly he can get up to speed. —I still am puzzled by the decision to let both Chris Thompson and Lache Seastrunk go, even though Thompson has returned to the practice squad. Keeping at least one speed back on the 53-man roster seems to be the smart way to go. But if Thompson can stick on the practice squad and develop there instead of taking up roster spots, it will be a case of all’s well that ends well. —Right now I’m not sure if the Redskins are better off on the offensive line than they were a year ago, but they could be better a year from now. There might be a slight upgrade in the starters with Kory Lichtensteiger taking over for Will Montgomery at center, and Shawn Lauvao moving in at left guard. But if Morgan Moses and Spencer Long can develop into starters as projected (and/or if Josh LeRibeus can as well) it could be a major upgrade. But draft picks carry no guarantees, especially not third rounders, so we will have to wait and see. —The most improved unit on the team clearly is wide receiver. Pierre Garçon, Santana Moss, and Aldrick Robinson are back. DeSean Jackson, Andre Roberts and Ryan Grant replace Josh Morgan, Leonard Hankerson, and Nick Williams. You don’t need much explanation or advanced stats to tell you that it’s a better unit. —A few numbers: The Redskins’ roster has 25 players on offense, 25 on defense, and three specialists. A total of 24 players were not on the 53-man roster at any point last year. Of those, 21 are new to the Redskins organization in 2014. A total of 24 of them were drafted by the Redskins. Stat of the day—DeSean Jackson had 25 plays with gains for 20 yards or more in the regular season with the Eagles last year plus one in the playoffs. On the drives where Jackson had those explosive plays the Eagles scored 17 touchdowns, kicked seven field goals, and missed two field goals. Timeline—Today’s schedule: Practice 10:45; player availability and Jay Gruden news conference after practice (approx. 12:30). —It’s been 246 days since the Redskins played a game; in six days they play the Texans in their 2014 season opener. —Days until: Home opener vs. Jaguars 13; Redskins @ Eagles 20; Thursday night Giants @ Redskins 25
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 18:35:30 +0000
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