Decisions on Redskins Free Agents

The Redskins have been punished $18 million in cap space this year.  Meaning, they have $18 million less than any other team to spend on players.  They received this punishment for the way they handled contracts in the uncapped year of 2010.  Because of this the Redskins need to be very thrifty and smart when it comes to free agency.  They need to look for value and bargin deals.  The first thing they need to decide is which of their current players they need to resign and which ones they need to let go.

Chris Cooley - He is a fan favorite and in his prime he was one of the best tight ends in the league.  But he is way past his prime and should retire.  We should not resign him as a player but sign him as a coach.

Fred Davis - He has all the talent in the world for a tight end but was suspended at the end of the 2011 season for failing drug tests and he missed the last nine games last year because he tore his achilles.  Because he hasn't finished a season in the last two years he should be pretty cheap.  We should resign him to a two year deal with a lot of incentives.

Sav Rocca - He is a 39 year old player but he is a punter where age doesn't matter as much.  He had a slightly above average year and played hurt for the last half.  We should resign him to a two year deal for really cheap.

Jordan Black - He was suspended for four games this season for performance enhancing drugs and only played in one game and was just average.  I feel he has too much baggage and we should not resign him.

Tyler Polumbus - He started 15 games at right tackle this year but played below average.  He is an above average back up but not a viable option to start.  We should resign him to a very cheap two year deal but if he is our starting right tackle next year we are in trouble.

Kory Lichtensteiger - He started all 16 games at left guard but was injured in the last game.  He has not finished a season healthy since he came into the league 5 years ago.  LeRibeus filled in for Lichtensteiger when he got hurt and played well.  We should not resign him and let LeRibeus have the opportunity to play.

Kedric Golston - He is the longest tenured Redskin but at this point in his career is just an average back up.  We should resign him to a two year deal for very cheap.

Rob Jackson - He came in and played very well for Orakpo after he got hurt.  He had some very key, momentum swinging plays and is key to making sure we have a good rotation at outside linebacker.  We should resign him to a four year back loaded contract so he is cheap this year and earns more money during the years that we have more cap space.

Lorenzo Alexander - Mr. Everything for the Redskins, he is a player that every coach would love on his team, he led the league in special teams tackles and works very hard.  We should resign him to a four year back loaded contract as well.

Bryan Kehl - A BYU alumni, he did not play very much and is a below average backup.  We should not resign him and let him walk.

Chris Wilson - He is a one trick pony, all he can do is rush the passer but is not good defending the run or good in coverage.  We should not resign him.

Cedric Griffin - He is a 30 year old corner back that has had three knee surgeries.  He also was suspended for four games for performance enhancement drugs.  We should give our young guys an opportunity to play and not resign him.  

Madieu Williams - He started all 16 games at free safety but was absolutely horrible in coverage and we should not resign him.

Tanard Jackson - He was suspended for the year for performance enhancing drugs and we should not waste anymore time with him and not resign him.

Chris Baker - He played a role in all 16 games at nose tackle and should still come cheap so we should resign him to a three year cheap contract.

Logan Paulsen - He played very well at tight end after Davis got hurt.  He is an amazing blocker and has very strong hands.  He should come cheap and we should resign him to a four year cheap contract.

Darrel Young - He started all 16 games at fullback and is a very good blocker and a very good receiver out of the backfield.  We should resign him to a five year deal at about the average contract for fullbacks in the league.

Brandon Banks - He was our return man for the first half of the year but was demoted for lack of production.  We should not resign him.

Nick Sundberg - He is a very good long snapper and we should resign him to a four year deal.

If we resign these guys and let the other guys go, I think we can be a better team next year.  The younger back ups will get more playing time and I feel that there are better players that are going to be available during free agency.

Who was the Best Rookie QB in 2012? Part 2

And here is part 2 of who was the best rookie QB in 2012?

Total Yards

Luck - 4629

RGIII - 4015

Wilson - 3607

The best QBs in the league usually have over 4000 yards a year, the fact that two rookies surpassed that mark is remarkable.  In fact Luck set the record for most yards by a rookie QB in a season.  The fact that these QBs were able to throw for so many yards while still learning the game, is miraculous.

Completion %

RGIII - 65.6%

Wilson - 64.1%

Luck - 54.1%

I think one of the most underrated statistics for a QB is completion percentage.  The best QBs in the league are consistently over 60% completion percentage.  The fact that Wilson and RGIII were in the top 8 in the NFL in completion percentage is a testament to how accurate these QBs are.

Yards Per Pass Attempt

RGIII - 8.14

Wilson - 7.93

Luck - 6.98

While completion percentage is important, if your QB is not throwing down field and making big pass completions than it is tough to win games.  You could lead the league in completion percentage but if you average less than 5 yards per attempt you are just throwing short passes that are easy to complete.  But when you lead the league in yards per attempt like RGIII and also have a high completion percentage that means you are extremely accurate.

Total QB Rating

RGIII - 102.4

Wilson - 100

Luck - 76.5

Total QB rating is a complicated algorithm that combines a lot of the statistics we have already discussed.  Before this year a rookie has never finished over 100 points.  This year RGIII and Wilson accomplished that feet.  That shows you how well rounded these QBs are, and how bright their futures are.

   

Total Points

RGIII - 16

Wilson - 15

Luck - 11

Overall RGIII barely won over Wilson, and in any other year Luck would be a lock for rookie of the year.  I believe all three QBs are great athletes and had impecable seasons, but I believe the best rookie QB this year was RGIII.  The fact of the matter is RGIII has the film and statistics to back up my conclusion and who knows what he could have done if he hadn't hurt his knee and was limited for the last 4 games of the season.  The NFL is lucky to have all three of these great athletes in their league and I am grateful I can watch them for years to come.

If you do not believe me view the video below.  The man is amazing

Who was the Best Rookie QB in 2012? Part 1

There were three great Rookie QBs during the 2012 NFL season, Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson.  All three had great years and led their teams to the playoffs, but who was the best?   I have chosen seven of what I think are the most important statistics for QBs, wins, touchdowns, turnovers, total yards, completion percentage, yards per pass attempt, and QB overall rating.  I will rank each QB and award first place three points, second place two points and third place one point.  Which ever QB has the most points is the best QB.  

Wins   

Wilson - 12

Luck - 11

RGIII - 10

QBs are judged by wins and losses more than any other position in football, while it does take a team to  win a game the QB has the most influence on whether the team wins or losses.  The fact that all three QBs won double digit games and made the playoffs is amazing.  But we need to look a little deeper into this statistic and look at the increase in wins from the 2011 season.  Luck won 9 more games, RGIII won 5 more games, and Wilson won 4 more games.  So accordingly Luck made the biggest difference to his team.  But for sake of keeping it simple I will keep it the way I ranked it originally.

Touchdowns

Wilson - 30

Luck - 28

RGIII - 27

The whole point of football it to score more points than the other team so when you get this kind of production from your rookie signal caller it is huge.  The only caveat I want to add here is that RGIII scored his 27 TDs with one and a half less games then Luck and Wilson because he was out due to injury.  But to have three QBs with over 25 touchdowns in the same season is unprecedented. 

Turnovers

RGIII - 8

Wilson - 13

Luck - 27

Every year the best teams in the NFL consistently turn the ball over the least.  Unfortunately most of the time when you draft a rookie QB you expect a lot of turnovers as part of their learning curve.  The fact that RGIII led all QBs (not just rookie QBs) with the least amount of turnovers is impressive.  And I know that Luck will be able to cut down his turnovers next year now that he has a year under his belt.

I will discus the rest next week.  I hope you enjoy.

Thoughts From Redskins Playoff Loss

There has been much said about the resent debacle that was the Redskins Seahawks playoff game.  I was at the game and having a wonderful time during the first quarter.  This is a picture I took during pre game warmups.

Anyways, the Redskins were up 14-0 and had complete control of the game, but on a sideline pass Robert Griffin III tweaked his already sprained knee.  Everything went down hill from there and ended with RGIII on the ground with a torn LCL and ACL and a Redskins loss.  Some blame the horrible conditions of the field at Redskins stadium, some blame the head coach, Mike Shanahan, some even blame the quarterback Robert Griffin III, and some blame the play calling of Kyle Shanahan.

In my opinion the field was horrible and needs to be addressed immediately but that is not the reason the Redskins lost the game or the reason that RGIII got hurt.  I also can't blame Mike Shanahan because his star Rookie QB told him he was fine and the only reason he was coaching in the game was because of RGIII's play during the regular season.  As the coach you have to give your star QB the chance to win the game for you, you owe him that much for what he did for you all season.  And I think it is absolutely ridiculous that people blame RGIII for not taking himself out of the game.  RGIII is very competitive and believes in himself, and believed he could still win the game even with an injured knee.

And last but not least the play calling, this is where the blame needs to be.  The Redskins were winning 14-0 and had an obviously gimpy QB, our RB Alfred Morris was having a great game and averaging 6-7 yards per carry, and for some reason we decided to throw the ball almost every play.  Even if we had a healthy QB when you are up 14-0 you run the ball and control the clock but our Offensive Coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, decided to completely abandon the run.  He even called some plays that required RGIII to run on his obviously hurt knee.  In my mind that is where the blame needs to be placed, squarely on Kyle Shanahans shoulders.

But overall this was a great season and I can't wait for next year, the future looks very bright, God help RGIII recover from his surgery and HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!