(photo by Brian Murphy)

You might remember that not too long ago, the Washington Redskins neglected the offensive and defensive lines so much, that the fans actually rejoiced when the new regime used the fourth pick in the 2010 draft on Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams.

At the time, I called the use of the draft pick a groundbreaking moment because it was the first clear-cut sign that the Redskins might finally stop “handing out five-year, $25-million contracts to every free agent with name recognition and stop shooting their wad on draft day on glamor picks instead of positions of need.”

The hope was that the selection of Williams might have signaled the end of trying to sell jerseys and the beginning of finally trying to build a solid foundation. Once Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels was forced to retire because of a spinal condition, the Redskins offensive line easily became one of the worst the NFL had to offer.

Former Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell was sacked so many times in 2009 that he privately told me on more than one occasion that he didn’t feel like he had enough time in the pocket to move on to his second option before pass rushers had already blown through Washington’s substandard offensive line.

And while the Redskins offensive line allowed 46 sacks for the second-consecutive season, the line at least seems pointed in the right direction. Williams, at times, looked every bit the part of a dominant left tackle. Of course, there were other times when pass rushers took his lunch money, but that’s the life of a rookie offensive lineman.

Samuels once told me everyone gets beat at one time or another in the NFL, it’s how you respond to that adversity that defines what type of player you are.

I caught up with Williams after the 2010 season had concluded to get his initial reaction to his inaugural compaign.

“I did okay,” Williams said when asked to reflect upon his rookie season. “It’s something to grow from. That’s all I can ask for – something to build off of. Next year I have to be a lot better.”

You faced some of the most talented pass rushers the NFL has to offer this season, whether we’re talking about everyone from Mario Williams to Jared Allen to Osi Umenyiora to DeMarcus Ware. There’s no way it was that tough on a week-to-week basis in college, was it?

“It definitely makes you grow up fast, man,” he said. “You don’t have time to fool around. You’ve got to go out and be ready to play – especially when they’re depending on you to block on the quarterback’s blind side. It was tough. Nothing was easy.”

How long did it take for your head to stop swimming when you’re out there?

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

There are many reasons why the Green Bay Packers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 21-16 in the opening round of the playoffs Sunday.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes and finished the day with a passer rating of 122.5. Rookie running back James Starks, a sixth-rounder out of Buffalo, rushed for more yards against the Eagles (123 yards) than he did all season (101 yards). Defensive standouts Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson did their best to throw off Mike Vick and the Eagles offense.

So any of those individuals would be deserving of a game ball in Green Bay’s victory.

But what stands out most the day after is the fact that David Akers, Philadelphia’s Pro Bowl kicker, missed field goal attempts from 41 and 34 yards out. Had he made both of those two kicks, it’s very likely the Eagles would still be in the postseason and Rodgers would still be searching for his first-career playoff victory.

“We can all count, and those points would have helped,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said.

Such is the life of a kicker. You make it, and you get a pat on the helmet. You’re anything less than perfect every time you take the field and critics start calling for your head.

I bring up Akers because he’s the name most frequently mentioned when folks around town start talking about Washington Redskins kicker Graham Gano.

As you may remember, Akers was a member of the Redskins back in 1998. As a 24-year-old rookie, Akers attempted two field goals – both from 40-plus yards out. He missed on both of them.

Head coach Norv Turner and friends made a rash decision and released Akers, who went on to become a five-time Pro Bowler (including each of the past two seasons) for Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, the Redskins have seemingly had a revolving door at kicker ever since the day they sent Akers packing. Sure, Gano kicked three overtime winners in 2010, but for as promising as he’s looked at times, he still finished the season with the lowest accuracy rate of any kicker in the NFL (68.6 percent success rate).

I guess people look at 23-year-old Gano and see similarities between his situation and 24-year-old Akers, so they’re willing to overlook the fact that he converted just 12 of 17 field goals from 39 yards or closer. They figure he’ll eventually get his act together and pray it happens here instead of with another division rival.

Personally, I have no clue whether or not Gano is the long-term answer for the Redskins, but I have discovered his good luck charm. Gano may be wildly inconsistent in the kicking game this season, but there is one player who seemingly had a calming effect on the second-year pro – cornerback Byron Westbrook.

I have no clue how or why Westbrook earned these additional duties, but the 26-year-old has become Washington’s unofficial kicking tee.

As you can see from the photo above, whenever the football fails to stay upright in the kicking tee on a kickoff, Westbrook is called upon to fill that role. He must then take a knee and hold the ball in place with his pointer finger until Gano is able to kick the ball to the opposing team.

For the year, Gano kicked the ball off 71 times this season and had nine touchbacks (12.7 percent). Well, the three times Westbrook held the ball for Gano all resulted in touchbacks (that’s 100 percent, if you’re scoring at home).

That stat, more than anything tells me Gano is a much better kicker when Westbrook is involved. Out of curiosity, I asked Westbrook how he got those duties.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. I cannot stress to you how awful Rex Grossman is at protecting the football. Seriously, words aren’t enough, so I’ll turn to numbers to illustrate my point. Grossman, as you no doubt know by now, turned the football over eight times in his brief time as a starting quarterback.

Conversely, Donovan McNabb coughed up the ball 16 times in 13 games. Over the course of a full 16-game season, McNabb was on pace to turn the ball over 20 times. I think we can all agree that’s not very good — especially for a quarterback who is, statistically speaking, one of the least intercepted passers in NFL history.

So how bad was Grossman? If he continued to be as careless with the football over the course of an entire 16-game season, he’d turn the ball over an astounding 43 times. That’s impressive, even for a guy with 56 turnovers in 37 career games played.

2. Speaking of Grossman, in addition to being a turnover machine, he’s also fairly predictable as well.

When attempting passes outside of the numbers, Grossman went 20 of 44 for 230 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. That’s good enough to earn him a 31.4 quarterback rating.

Now, let’s compare that to his statistics when attempting passes in the middle of the field. In those situations, Grossman completed 54 of 68 passes for 654 yards, with six touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s good enough to earn a 136.1 passer rating.

To recap: Grossman gets sacked once every eight times he drops back, he has no real pocket presence which is why he was on pace to set records for the most turnovers in a season and he can only complete passes in the middle of the field. But other than that, he’s great.

Unless your last name is Shanahan, you better pray like hell the Redskins use a draft pick on a quarterback.

3. Sticking with the passing game, receiver Santana Moss set a career high for receptions in a season with 93, which is the second most in franchise history behind Art Monk’s record 106 catches in 1984. If it seemed like the Redskins went to Moss early and often, it’s because they did.

In fact, Moss was targeted 145 times – which comes out to 24.3 percent of the team’s total pass attempts. The only NFL receivers who saw the ball come their way more often in 2010 were Roddy White, Reggie Wayne, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Marshall.

One more random nugget about Moss – he’s a much more dangerous player on the road than he is at FedEx Field. In home games this season, Moss had 55 catches for 585 yards (10.6 yards per catch) and one touchdown. But away from home, Moss caught 38 passes for 530 yards (13.9 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.

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[As you can see, the new issue of Hail! magazine, our free digital publication dedicated to the burgundy and gold is now out. Here is a sneak peak of my feature story in this week's issue on Redskins cornerback/safety Kevin Barnes.]

When Washington Redskins cornerback Kevin Barnes was younger, he didn’t dream of being a professional football player. The truth is, he always wanted to play basketball.

The only problem was, at his height, it was point guard or bust in the NBA. That wasn’t really all that appealing to Barnes, so instead of being one of the shortest players on the court, he opted for a different career path.

“There’s not too many 6-foot-1 shooting guards out there,” Barnes admitted. “So I went for football.”

Once he set his sights on the NFL, Barnes knew what position he wanted to play – running back.

“I loved watching guys like Barry Sanders and Eddie George, but I never filled out like those guys,” said Barnes, who is listed at 185 lbs. “So I ended up playing safety in high school and corner in college.

“If I had it my way, I would have been about 6-foot-1 and 230 lbs., and would have been like Bo Jackson,” Barnes said with a laugh. “I would have been big, but I would have been able to run like the wind. That’s what I had in my mind, but it didn’t really work out like that. Fortunately, everything worked out anyways.”

While Barnes didn’t become the next great running back, he did make a name for himself as a highlight-worthy cornerback at the University of Maryland. One play in particular — in which Barnes hit an opposing player so hard he actually vomited on the field — has immortalized the 24-year-old.

“I remember when [Barnes] laid my boy [California running back] Jahvid Best out with a big hit in college,” Redskins linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. “He’s always been a big hitter. That’s nothing new to his game, but it’s why I really respect him. You see a lot of those cover guys who don’t want to play physical – who don’t want to try and lay anybody out. He’s more than willing to do it. He’s known as a big hitter on our team.”

While that play might not be one of Best’s favorites, Barnes has no problem admitting how much that one play has helped his career.

“It was very important to me,” he said. “Until that point, my stock was rising as far as being a draft prospect, but when that play happened, I was able to create a major buzz about my game. Four or five games later I hurt my shoulder, but that play, as well as how I had played earlier that season, kept me on the radar with scouts and coaches.”

In 2009, the Redskins used a third-round selection, the 80th pick overall, on Barnes. Unfortunately for the rookie though, Washington went just 4-12 and Barnes saw action in only four games.

“It was definitely a humbling experience,” he said. “I knew for a fact that I was busting my butt like no one could imagine in practice, so it was more of a mental thing. Coming from college I was a pretty good player and then to barely play at all was humbling. But at the same time, I tried to take positives out of it by learning from veterans who have had success in this league.

“It is a sweeter feeling though to get out there and earn some playing time now,” he said. “It would be a lot sweeter if we were winning, but we’re going through this together. Don’t ever count out the Redskins. We’re down right now, but we will rise again.”

While the Redskins finished a season with a losing record for the sixth time since 2002, Barnes can be viewed as one of the few bright spots in 2010.

After being stuck on the depth chart behind established veteran cornerbacks like DeAngelo Hall, Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon for much of the season, Barnes found new life as a safety.

Because of injuries to LaRon Landry, Kareem Moore, Reed Doughty and Chris Horton, Barnes was asked to fill in against the Dallas Cowboys at a position he hadn’t taken a snap at since high school.

“He did really good,” Hall said. “I think he can be a heck of a safety in this league if he wants to be. He was flying around and sticking his head in there so much that coaches actually said he did a better job tackling as a safety than he did as a corner.

“He’s a hungry guy,” Hall continued. “He wants to be out there on the field. He made a comment to me about not being able to get on the field at corner, so he was talking about wanting to move to safety a while ago. He’s a ball hawk. You guys haven’t really had the chance to see it in games, but we see it every day in practice. From last year until this year he just keeps getting better.”

To read the rest of this feature click here and subscribe to Hail! magazine.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Thankfully, more times than not, I am in attendance each and every week when the Washington Redskins are in action.

I say thankfully because I’ve reached a point where I can barely stomach the majority of the announcers who call NFL games, and let’s be honest – when your favorite team is 6-10, you’re not exactly getting the cream of the crop every Sunday.

At any rate, I was on the sidelines at FedEx Field as the Redskins were in the process of losing 17-14 to the New York Giants this past weekend when I got a text message from my brother. He was enjoying the game from the comfort of his home when the announcers said something that caught his attention.

Apparently, in the days leading up to the regular season finale, Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told them that, for his money, defensive lineman Adam Carriker was his strongest player. And of course, if you’re an announcer who is given this information during your game preparation, you’re going to share that during the course of the broadcast.

Well, as someone who has covered the hell out of the 2010 Redskins, that statement was interesting to me because Carriker has a friendly rivalry with veteran defensive end Phillip Daniels. They both play the same position and they both really do get along, but that’s not stopping either of them from claiming that they are the strongest player on the roster.

Armed with this information, I sought out both Daniels and Carriker in the post-game locker room to get their take on Haslett’s bold declaration.

“That don’t mean a thing,” Daniels said with a laugh. “Adam’s his boy, you know. He drafted him in St. Louis and so he’s gonna defend him every way he can. Coach Haslett has never been in the weight room to see us lift. Everybody is gonna take his word for it, but they need to come to Monster Garage Gym and get the real deal.”

Now, I’ve been to Monster Garage and have seen firsthand the type of powerlifting training you’re referring to. It wasn’t something I had ever experienced before, so I’m curious, can Carriker do what you do?

“I don’t think he can do some of the stuff I do, as far as the deadlifts and squats,” Daniels said. “He said the most he’s going to put on his back is 500 lbs., so we’ll never know. Me, I push the limits. I plan on lifting 800 lbs. this offseason. That’s my goal.”

Having heard what Daniels had to say on the subject, it was now time to give Carriker his fair chance to rebuttal.

“He just needs to come to grips with reality,” Carriker said with a laugh. “I mean, he’s very strong in his own right. I’ll give him that. I see him working hard, but he’s like the old lion who doesn’t want to give up the reigns to the pride. The young lion is coming whether you’re ready or not, and he just needs to come to grips with it.”

Let me reiterate that these two guys are very close. Even as they were trash talking, both of these men were laughing and enjoying the chance to talk about something other than controversies involving disgruntled defensive linemen and/or benched quarterbacks.

The truth is, they enjoy hanging out and really push each other – both on the field and in the weight room. Strength and conditioning coach Ray Wright told me earlier this season that Daniels and Carriker are the two strongest guys, but no one is in a hurry to declare either the undisputed winner.

And since I had the chance to chat with them both one final time before the offseason, I took the opportunity to ask them each a few extra questions about topics other than their friendly rivalry.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “Come As You Are” by Nirvana

Mercifully, the Washington Redskins’ 2010 season is over, thanks to a 17-14 loss to the New York Giants at FedEx Field Sunday.

The game, in many ways, represented the season as a whole – with the Redskins outplaying their opponent for much of the day, only to fall short because of self-inflicted issues. Sounds familiar, right?

Missed extra points. Failed two-minute drives. Blown 17-point leads. Untimely turnovers. Seriously, that’s how it’s been all season long – regardless of the opponent, the Redskins have done as much to lose games as they have to win them. So why not end the regular season on the same depressing note you’ve played the rest of the year?

And honestly, I could go on about the strong play of Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong, the promise of Ryan Torain at running back or the potential we’ve saw at the end of the season from Kevin Barnes at safety and Anthony Bryant at nose tackle, but let’s not kid ourselves — the better team won yesterday and the Redskins have some work to do before they can compete with the big boys.

2. “Sick of You” by Cake

And while it hasn’t really mattered who the opponent has been this season, the fact is, the Redskins simply cannot beat the Giants.

Sunday’s game was New York’s ninth victory in their last 10 games against Washington – with the lone setback coming at the hands of quarterback Todd Collins in a game with 60-mile-per-hour winds back in 2007. Otherwise, the last five years worth of games have been nothing but frustrating for the burgundy and gold.

In fact, the Giants have outscored the Redskins 242-134 over the last 10 matchups, which quick math says comes out to an average score of 24-13.

When your average result over a five-year period is a double digit loss to your supposed rival, there’s something wrong. So when you’re dreaming up your wishlist for Santa next year, please remember to add “See the Redskins defeat the Giants again before I die” near the top of the list.

3. “Written On The Forehead” by P.J. Harvey

You don’t need fancy statistics to know that when your team turns the ball over four times, you’re not going to win many games.

Likewise, fancy charts and graph aren’t needed to illustrate that a kicker who can’t consistently make 30-yard attempts should not consider making long term plans in town. So there’s no real need to beat that dead horse.

But I will say this to anyone who believes that Rex Grossman should be given an opportunity to be the team’s starter in 2011 – the guy is a turnover machine. He’s always been turnover prone and yesterday showed his biggest weakness – he has no pocket presence. It’s as if he has no clue when a defender is closing in on him.

Some quarterbacks have an uncanny ability to feel when a pass rusher is closing in on them, which enables them to step up in the pocket to avoid the pressure. Not Grossman. He stands there blindly as if the thought of someone pursuing him from the blind side isn’t even a remote possibility in his world.

In related news, Grossman has 56 turnovers in 37 career games played. On a team that has very little margin for error, you simply cannot rest your hopes on a guy that careless with the football.

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