(photo by Brian Murphy)

When Mike Shanahan took over as the head coach of the Washington Redskins, he inherited a roster with more names than actual talent.

Too many starters were on the downside of their respective careers and a complete lack of depth across the board doomed the two-time Super Bowl winning coach out the gate.

One of the lone bright spots in Shanahan’s first season in Washington was outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, who earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in each of his two NFL seasons while racking up an impressive 19.5 sacks.

The only other pass rushers of note in Washington was Andre Carter, a well-respected veteran who is a much better defensive end than outside linebacker.

Carter had 34 sacks in five seasons with the Redskins, although all but 2.5 of those sacks came in a 4-3 defensive scheme before Shanahan took the job.

Once the decision was made to convert to a 3-4 scheme, it was only a matter of time before the Redskins and Carter parted ways.

The 11-year pro was let go this offseason and the Redskins spent their first-round pick in the 2011 draft on Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan, a unanimous All-American who collected 33.5 sacks during his college career.

Like Carter though, Kerrigan is someone much more comfortable rushing forward rather than dropping back in coverage.

When it came to sacking the quarterback, few in college football did it as well as he did. But Kerrigan’s coverage skills at this point would best be described as a “work in progress.”

Anyone familiar with this site should know by now that Carter is someone I consider a personal friend. When Shanahan was first hired, I asked Carter about the biggest challenge going from defensive end to outside linebacker

“For me, the most difficult part of that experience was coverage,” Carter told me. “Back then I had to cover the tight end man-to-man, and that was an experience. I learned how to do it as the season went on, but man, talk about getting your butt whooped. And there were times when I had to line up on the number-two receivers when they were lined up in the slot. That was different.

“We played a cover-2, so I had to jam him at the line of scrimmage,” Carter continued. “You learn little stuff like how to work your hips a certain way, because if I don’t flip them, he’s going to beat me deep. Yeah, there were times I learned that the hard way.”

Carter has always been a team-oriented player, so he tried to make the best of an uncomfortable situation. But no matter what role he tried to play, he knew he was meant to be a pass rushing defensive end.

More than once he told me that maybe if he was asked to transition to outside linebacker when he first came into the league, things would have gone differently. But by the time Shanahan and friends came into his life, that ship had sailed.

Which brings me back to Kerrigan. The 23-year-old will surely take his lumps as he learns the ropes on a new position with new responsibilities, but he’s in a much better position to excel than Carter.

Against the Baltimore Ravens, Kerrigan showed why the coaching staff thought highly enough of him to make him the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

1. “All of the Lights” by Kanye West

While many fans of the Washington Redskins were downright giddy after the team’s first two playoff* games, I tried to remain cautiously optimistic.

For more than a decade now, my favorite football team has done far more winning in the offseason than in the regular season.

*Fine, they were just preseason games. But they sure did feel like playoff games in D.C.

The Redskins have made the playoffs just twice since 2000, and yet, seemingly every year the desperate fanbase finds a way to talk itself into believing “this year is different.”

Sure, that’s probably because management has usually brought in a new head coach, coordinator or quarterback with the promise of future success, but I’ve been burned too many times to blindly take that leap of faith anymore.

When the Redskins won their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-7, I chalked it up to catching a quality team on an off night. One week later, Washington won again, but it came at the expense of an Indianapolis Colts team who a.) didn’t have Peyton Manning and b.) couldn’t care less about the preseason.

Sure, that’s two wins over two perennial playoff teams, but I remained unconvinced. In order to believe this Redskins team will be any different than what I’ve been subjected to, I needed to see a similar performance against the Baltimore Ravens in the third preseason game.

Why? Because the Ravens really, really care about preseason games. So much so that they call timeouts with seconds remaining just so they can run up the score.

On top of that, Baltimore has a history of beating down the burgundy and gold during the preseason.

Last year, the Ravens dismantled the Redskins 23-3. The year before was even worse, with Baltimore blanking Washington 23-0. That’s two victories by a lopsided 46-3 margin.

2. “The Show Goes On” By Lupe Fiasco

As you know by now, the Redskins got off to a great start against the Ravens, with Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco throwing an ill-advised pass that was picked off by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who then returned it 52 yards for the touchdown.

“We started off a little slow, obviously,” said Flacco, who tried to make up for his poor passing attempt by trying to horse-collar tackle during the return.

The Redskins struck again later in the first period, when running back Tim Hightower took off for a 37-yard score to put Washington up 14-0.

That’s when I joked that the Redskins should no longer be considered the “offseason champs,” but that they should be officially referred to as the “preseason champs.” It was impossible to expect the team’s good fortunes to continue forever, but it was definitely an enjoyable nine quarters of football.

Even though head coach Mike Shanahan continued to rotate Rex Grossman and John Beck in at quarterback, the offense continued to move the ball up and down the field.

The defense, which used to be the strength of Washington’s football team back when Gregg Williams routinely had his unit ranked in the top 10, finally began to show signs of returning to prominence.

Special teams, easily the most erratic unit in Washington, continued to shine with kicker Graham Gano converting his field goal chances whenever the offense stalled.

Any way you spun it; there was a lot to like about the Redskins at that point.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

As the Washington Redskins head up the beltway to take on the Baltimore Ravens in the all-important third preseason game, it’s important to pause and reflect on the state of the franchise.

The Redskins, inexplicably, are tops in the NFL in offense and defense.

In all likelihood, that ends tonight when Washington takes on a highly-motivated Ravens team that cares a little too much* about preseason games.

*Seriously, I don’t care how you try to spin it – calling a timeout with roughly eight seconds remaining to run up the score in a blowout is bush league. The Kansas City Chiefs had every right to call Baltimore out on it and I can’t help but think that if the Redskins had pulled a stunt like that the world would have ended.

Talking heads would still be ranting and railing against the Redskins while columnists and talk radio hosts devoted an entire week to figuring out once and for all if head coach Mike Shanahan let Daniel Snyder call the play.

Make no mistake about it – Baltimore will provide a much-stiffer challenge than Pittsburgh or Indianapolis.

The Steelers were caught flat footed in the preseason opener, which is why coach Mike Tomlin put a foot in his team’s collective backside and, in related news, Pittsburgh routed Philadelphia the following week.

The Colts are a different story because, simply put, they don’t care about the preseason. With or without Peyton Manning in the lineup, Indianapolis is content to save their wins for the regular season. That’s why they’ve lost eight consecutive and 24 of their last 28 preseason games.

But for whatever reason, the Ravens really, really care about looking good during the exhibition season. It’s why head coach Jim Harbaugh kept his starters in the lineup into the third quarter last week and why Baltimore has even used trick plays during previous preseason games against Washington.

The Ravens basically feel like, “if they’re keeping score, we might as well try to win it.” So don’t think for a minute they won’t go for the kill if given the opportunity against the Redskins.

And you know what – that’s perfect. Bring it, I say.

If at all possible, I’d like to officially request that the Redskins play Baltimore in the third preseason game from now on because these players will get a lot more out of playing a highly-motivated opponent like this rather than lining up against a Colts team content to go through the motions.

There are so many new faces in the Redskins locker room that a game like this is a necessity. Head coach Mike Shanahan and his staff will learn more about the makeup of this roster in this game at Baltimore than at any other point this season.

Can John Beck really be Washington’s long-term solution at quarterback? Can he finally be the player who fills the void and ends the revolving door at football’s most important position?

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the eighth-annual “Why your team won’t win the Super Bowl” column. So head to Las Vegas and put money on it – this is why your favorite football franchise won’t get it done this year.

Arizona Cardinals – For his career, Kevin Kolb is 3-4 with 11 touchdowns and 21 turnovers (14 interceptions and seven fumbles). In Arizona, that translates into a five-year, $63 million contract.

Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons have won 33 of 48 regular season games over the last three years, while going winless in the playoffs. They’re one more postseason collapse away from moving to San Jose and naming Joe Thornton captain.

Baltimore Ravens – I’m convinced Ricky Williams signed with the Ravens after watching The Wire. Don’t be shocked when he tries to move to Hamsterdam.

Buffalo Bills – I’m pretty sure it’s not a good sign when your team’s best player is your punter.

Carolina Panthers – The Panthers have paid out more than $100 million in signing bonuses this offseason because, any time you have the chance to overpay the core of a 2-14 team, you’ve gotta do it.

Chicago Bears – It’s probably not a good sign that Jay Cutler’s most consistent target during his time in Chicago has been DeAngelo Hall.

Cincinnati Bengals – With Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco gone, the Bengals don’t have five players on the roster casual fans can name. Sadly, they might not even have five players worth learning the names of.

Cleveland Browns – The one head coach in Ohio worth a damn took his sweater vest and went home.

Dallas Cowboys – Little known fact: Tony Romo and Candace Crawford were originally supposed to get married at the end of last year, but she demanded the date be moved to July because, as you know, Romo never shows up in December.

Denver Broncos – Broncos fans are so stupid, they actually chanted for Tim Tebow to be the team’s quarterback even though he’s not any good.

Detroit Lions – The Lions head into an NFL season with legitimate expectations for the first time since Barry Sanders carried the load in the Motor City. What could go wrong?

Click here for the full article.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

The more I think about it, the more I’m blown away by the radical overhaul head coach Mike Shanahan has given to the Washington Redskins.

Even though he’s only been in town for less than two full seasons, Shanahan has transformed the roster from one of the oldest in the NFL to a much younger, more competitive version.

Sure, there’s plenty of work left to be done – something even Shanahan would be quick to admit – but the Redskins are already in much better shape than when he arrived.

Take, for example, the team’s rushing attack.

In the final game of the Jim Zorn era, Washington’s ground game featured the forgettable trio of Rock Cartwright, Quinton Ganther and Marcus Mason.

With established veterans such as Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts injured, these three unheralded backs did little to stake their claim to a starting job.*

*Ganther, Mason and Cartwright combined for 58 yards on 19 carries against San Diego’s back-ups in the 2009 season finale. The Chargers had already locked up a playoff spot and were content to mail in the game, and yet, these three could barely muster three yards a carry.

In Shanahan’s first season in Washington, the two-time Super Bowl winning coach was confident he could recreate the potent ground game that defined his 18 seasons in Denver.

When training camp began, the Redskins backfield featured Portis, Larry Johnson, Willie Parker and Ryan Torain. Three impressive resumes and an intriguing youngster who showed flashes while battling injuries.

Well, ‘Skins fans know what happened next. Johnson and Parker looked so bad, they both failed to make the 53-man roster and Portis, once again, finished the season on injured reserve.

(Editor’s note: Parker was cut before the season, but Johnson wasn’t. Clearly I overlooked his five carries for two yards in the regular season. My bad.)

Torain, who essentially won the starting job by default, looked good when healthy, and finished the season with 742 yards and four touchdowns.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Torain was the only player in the backfield to put up any sort of numbers and the Redskins’ rushing game finished the season ranked 30th in the league.

That point can’t be over emphasized – a Mike Shanahan rushing attack finished 30th* in the NFL.

*Suck it, Seattle and Arizona.

Put it this way: in 24 seasons of coaching, Shanahan’s ground game has ranked in the top 10 a mind-numbing 17 times.

Before coming to Washington, Shanahan’s worst rushing attack came in 1986 – when a 34-year-old Shanahan was the offensive coordinator of a Broncos team featuring the one-two punch of Sammy Winder and Gerald Willhite.

And yet, even though you’ve never heard of either of those gentlemen, the Broncos still managed to rank 20th in the NFL in rushing yards that year.

Here’s the stomach punch – the ’86 Broncos outrushed the ’10 Redskins by 217 yards.

So yeah, there was plenty of room for improvement heading into 2011.

This is where the story gets good for ‘Skins fans. Rather than repeating last year’s mistake and chasing name players with little left in the tank, Shanahan and friends targeted younger, hungrier players with something to prove.

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(photo by Andy Lyons)

1. “Irresistible Force” by Jane’s Addiction

Led by quarterback John Beck, the Washington Redskins soundly defeated the Indianapolis Colts Friday, 16-3.

The victory marked the 29-year-old’s first action in nearly a year – with Beck last taking the field in Washington’s 20-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2010 preseason finale.

And here’s something to consider: Beck didn’t even start the Cardinals game.

No-name quarterback Richard Bartel got the start that night, with head coach Mike Shanahan content to let Bartel and Beck alternate series while Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman took the night off with the rest of the team’s starters.

One year later, Beck has suddenly risen to the status of “chosen one,” with Shanahan apparently handing the 30-year-old the starting team’s gig during the lockout.

With all eyes locked on him as he took the field in Indy, Beck played as well as even the most optimistic of Shanahans could have hoped for – completing 14 of 17 passes for 140 yards while leading the Redskins offense to four-straight scoring drives.

On his best play of the night, a 3rd-and-12 with just over five minutes left in the first half, Beck showed why his coaches have so much confidence in a guy who hasn’t started a regular season game since 2007.

With the pocket collapsing around him, Beck stepped up and fired a sidearm pass to receiver Donte Stallworth for a 23-yard gain that kept the drive alive. Any way you look at it that was a big-time play for a guy the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens gave up on.

2. “One” by Metallica

Now, before Redskins fans (and coaches, for that matter) get too carried away, I do have one point of contention with Beck’s otherwise stellar performance against the Colts.

In four trips to the red zone, Beck threw a grand total of one pass into the end zone.

Repeat after me: one.

And it was a pass with a high degree of difficulty to fullback/tight end Mike Sellers, who has trouble catching passes with no degree of difficulty.

The Redskins finished their first drive with a one-yard run by recently acquired tailback Tim Hightower, but the next three drives all stalled and Washington was forced to settle for field goal attempts.

If Beck wants to win over the burgundy and gold faithful, he’s going to have to do more than dink and dunk his way down the field. ‘Skins fans still haven’t completely forgiven Mark Brunell, who went from the gunslinger who connected with Santana Moss in Dallas to the guy who completed 22-consecutive passes against Houston for roughly 44 yards.*

*Okay, he actually threw for 267 yards that day, but seriously, two thirds of his passes were thrown to targets behind the line of scrimmage.

If Beck wants to be taken seriously by people not named Shanahan, he’s got to stop throwing passes to Sellers and start taking chances downfield. Other than that, there was a lot to like in his 2011 debut.

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(photo by Brian Murphy)

Tonight the Washington Redskins take on the Indianapolis Colts in their second preseason game of the season. Once this game is in the books, we’ll be at the halfway point of the exhibition season and one step closer to the 53-man roster.

With that in mind, I humbly present to you my take at the top 10 Redskins players over the last seven days. For those who aren’t familiar, these are the players who have risen to the challenge and made a strong impression thus far.

And, as always, these rankings are completely subjective, biased and, ultimately, meaningless. They simply represent one person’s take during training camp. If you see things differently and/or feel like I’m forgetting someone, that’s okay. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts on the subject.

1. Tim Hightower, running back – It’s insane to think that a guy who wasn’t even on the roster at the start of training camp could very well be the starting tailback Week 1 against the New York Giants.

It’s even crazier to think that the Redskins were able to acquire a potential starting running back for Vonnie Holiday, a past-his-prime defensive lineman who wasn’t even going to make the team this year.

2. Rex Grossman, quarterback – The Shanahans might have a ton of manlove for John Beck, but Sexy Rexy isn’t lying down without a fight. Grossman completed 19 or 26 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown (109.0 QB rating) against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and looked very comfortable in his third year running this offense.

The pressure is clearly on Beck to show he’s worthy of being in this quarterback competition when the Redskins take on the Colts tonight. A poor performance is only going to re-enforce the popular belief that it’s only a matter of time before Grossman is lining up behind center for Washington.

3. DeJon Gomes, safety – Seemingly everyone else at the safety position is either injured (LaRon Landry, Oshiomogho Atogwe and Kareem Moore) or struggling (Chris Horton). So all Gomes has to do is be healthy and not make any monumental mistakes and he’s in solid shape to make the cut.

Thus far, Gomes is doing even better. The fifth rounder picked up his first-career sack against Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon and had three tackles for a loss for the night. Not bad for an unheralded rookie who most Redskins fans had never even heard of before draft day.

4. Jarvis Jenkins, defensive end – Dude still doesn’t look like a rookie out there on the football field.

5. Will Montgomery, center – Let’s just say that whenever Casey Rabach was asked to line up against someone as talented as Casey Hampton, he spent enough time in the backfield to warrant consideration as a backup running back.

Thankfully, Montgomery appears to be a much stronger option up the middle and if he continues to play at this level, Redskins quarterbacks might actually have time to look downfield rather than the dinks and dunks that passes for an offense last year.

Whether or not John Beck can complete a deep throw during live action is another question, but at least the Redskins starting center will give him a chance to make the play.

6. Evan Royster, running back – Roy Helu Jr. gets much more attention, but Royster was the rookie running back who Mike Shanahan opted to turn the football over to in the opener.

Royster finished with a game-high 15 carries for a game-high 66-yards rushing on the night, while Helu was limited to just 28 yards on eight carries. Whether or not it lasts remains to be seen, but as long as the Penn State standout makes plays like this, it’s going to be difficult for his coaches to ignore the rookie.

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