Thanks to all who submitted questions.
Hey John: … On 3rd and 11 this week, we went from a No-back formation under center and Mcnabb got sacked. Is there anything to justify that and is Kyle S. playcalling under question so far. I.e sweep on 3rd & 1 against colts on the short side of the field.
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Pascal Todd
Pascal: Yeah, that was a little surprising given how the line had needed help much of the game to protect McNabb. Sometimes that tactic works; but that was a tough game to do it. But, no, I don’t think Kyle is under that sort of scrutiny so far. Bad plays are called every game by every coordinator. At times I think he’s been a little too aggressive, but that’s a minor complaint. They struggle to run on first downs so they end up throwing a lot. If and when they get more talent, that aggressiveness will be viewed differently. I also liked how they used a lot of offset-I formations vs. the Bears; that played a role in Ryan Torain’s first-down runs late in the game. And the design of the plays is very good; guys do get open.
JK
John: thx for addressing my question regarding how the great pass rushers felt about Williams and Brown. And this week’s question – you can make a pretty good case that Donovan has been a liability in the Shanahan offense, where completion percentage and the right read are paramount, and so understand why there has been no discussion of a long term contract. Who around the league or coming out of college is likely being considered by the Skins as a long term solution?
Semper Fi
Bob Claypool
Bob: My pleasure and thank you. And that’s a good question. It’s a bit early to say since the process is ongoing and, because it’s so far down the line, I really haven’t talked to anyone about it. I’m sure Andrew Luck would be a guy anyone would want and he has the footwork and accuracy to please a guy like Mike Shanahan. But he’ll be a top-of-the-draft guy so he’s a major longshot to end up here. ESPN draft analyst listed his top five QBs (three are juniors) as: Washington’s Jake Locker (I’m not sold on him at all), Luck, Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett (character issues, from what I’ve read), Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert and Florida State’s Christian Ponder. And among the free agent QBs this offseason: Michael Vick and Matt Hasselbeck. Other than that, no saviors. Might have to stick with Donovan. Thing is, the guy is what he is, an inaccurate QB who makes big plays. The Redskins might have to adapt to what he does rather than think they can turn him into something he isn’t. See: Haynesworth, Albert. But even if he sticks around, they have to find a young QB to groom.
JK
John: This upcoming game is the typical game the Redskins teams of the last 5 years would lose. They tend to lose after they get on a roll and NFL pundits start talking them up. The Lions have improved, the Redskins are underdogs, do you think the team’s psyche will be in the right place headed into this one?
Mike Kaplan
Mike: You’re right, this is exactly the sort of game they’ve lost in the past. Thing is, they haven’t exactly been anything above mediocre for a while so that means they can beat good teams and lose to bad ones. That’s why I don’t think it’s been a case of overlooking teams. As Reed Doughty said Thursday about last season’s loss: a 1-15 team beat a 4-12 team. I’d say their mindset is good; they know Detroit is better than its record and enough players remember last year for them not to even think about being overconfident. But the one thing I worry about is that I’ve heard a decent amount of talk about the bye week. Will that be a factor? Don’t know.
JK
Dear John: How many draft picks do we currently have to use for the 2011 NFL Draft?
Thanks
Chris from White Plains, MD
Chris: They have their own picks in the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. And then it gets complicated. The third- and fourth-round picks go to Philadelphia and New Orleans, though which pick goes where depends on how the Redskins finish or if Donovan McNabb or Jammal Brown makes the Pro Bowl. Washington has an undisclosed pick coming from the Colts for Justin Tryon; and it will receive a fifth, sixth or seventh-rounder from the Saints as part of the Jammal Brown deal. Again, that will be determined after the season. Got all that?
JK
John: Where will Portis be playing next year at this time? D.C. or elsewhere?
TheRedSkinny
TRS: A mailbag question via Twitter; nice. As for the answer, and this is an educated guess, not based on something I’ve heard: Not here. Hard to trust Clinton to stay healthy considering what he’s dealt in 2008, ’09 and now this year. If healthy, he still has value. But that’s a big if. Of course, if they want him as only a third-down back, that could keep him around.
JK
John: Including [Sunday’s] game, do you think these redskins are beating the sh… out of every opponent theyve played? I really dont remember a stretch of games when they lay big hits that knock out foes and energize the sidelines, on every facet of the game (special teams, defense and even offense big hits like Torain with the eagles)
oserdisa
oserdisa: Another Twitter question. My Examiner colleague, Rick Snider, said earlier this season that he thought this was as physical a team as he’s seen in a while. Some Joe Gibbs teams were pretty physical, but in terms of defense and special teams, I agree with Rick. Those units have punished people. They have big hitters in London Fletcher and LaRon Landry, among others, on defense. On special teams, the big hits have come from Lorenzo Alexander, Mike Sellers, Chris Wilson and H.B. Blades. When you have big guys who can run, you get huge hits on special teams. The more Ryan Torain runs like he has, the more this team becomes a completely physical bunch. I don’t view the OL as an extremely physical group, though.
JK
