John: Jim Haslett seems fairly subdued on the sideline during games or at least when the camera pans to him — how is he in practice? Does he have any Gregg Williams style intensity about him?
Mike Kaplan
Mike: It’s hard to match Williams’ outward intensity. And I put it that way because coaches are, by nature, intense. Just comes out in different ways. But, no, Haslett is not like Williams was on the practice field. More subdued. Maybe it stems from having played in the NFL and understanding that he doesn’t have to be a certain way to get his point across. He’s also just a different personality. Williams always liked reminding everyone who was boss; perhaps that’s why the defense always did up-down drills. I hesitate to call Haslett a players-coach, because some view that as a negative. But guys do like playing for him; he has an easy manner about him. Having interviewed both, Haslett is more approachable. Williams was ultra-smart, but had a hard time with any sort of casual chit-chat, for example. But both are good interviews.
JK
Hi John: With 32 NFL teams, how in the world did Hunter Smith go unsigned until the 5th week of the season?? We were very lucky to sign him this late in the season. I think if Josh Bidwell was still our punter, we very easily could have lost to the Packers.
Jimmie Crowder
Jimmie: Based on how well he punted vs. Green Bay, that’s a good question. Smith worked out for New England and the New York Giants in addition to the Redskins. But the guess is that early in the year teams are reluctant to change too quickly and often work guys out for the next time a guy messes up. Also, having to deal with a leg injury last year did not help Smith; doesn’t help any punter. It likely kept him out of a camp this summer, which, in turn, made it take a little longer to get signed this season.
JK
John: Let’s put it out there. I am only slightly more useless than Roydell Williams in our WR corp. It seems that in the passing game Fred Davis is being under utilized. While his blocking has improved in the 2 TE sets and he has had some balls thrown his way (I still think he should have played the pass in the Philly game better), it seems like we are wasting his talents. Why haven’t we seen him set out wide in some formations like the Packers 3#(!!!) TE did in the 4th quarter or at least in the slot instead of Williams in the formations he plays in. Davis has better size, speed and athleticism than Williams does. Is Shanny that anti 2008 2nd round?
John A. Little
John: I can’t explain Roydell Williams. Not sure anyone can. But I have to admit I thought Fred would be a bigger factor in the passing game. But there are a couple things: I don’t think Donovan trusts Davis yet on his routes; he has a penchant for running routes a few yards off and that makes a huge difference. Unless he’s wide open, I don’t think he’ll get a lot of throws. Donovan throws to guys he trusts; hence, big numbers for Chris Cooley and Santana Moss – and a growing confidence in Anthony Armstrong. If Davis improves in this area, maybe they would use more two tight ends in the slot, but for now I would not expect it to change.
JK
John: Great job with your consistently good insight into all the Xs and Os that we fans rarely get to hear about from the coaches or players (especially with this regime). I follow your tweets and look forward to every one of your weekly posts. Now to my question: Why is it that Fred Davis is not being used in this offense?? With Moss and Armstrong being the only real contributors to the WR unit, it seems crazy to me that Kyle Shanahan can’t figure out a way to get Davis involved. Perhaps he doesn’t want to, but if that’s the case, I’m dying to know why. We’ve all seen Davis’ ability to beat almost any coverage down the seam, and I would think getting your third or fourth best pass-catcher on the team involved would be a priority. What gives?? Where are all these two tight-end sets we heard about in the preseason?
Thanks for answering.
Blair White (Downtown DC)
Blair: Thank you. You’re the second one to ask about Davis, so the answer above should suffice. But I’ll say again, I’m surprised that Davis hasn’t become a bigger role. But the problem with him in the past was trust (save for the second half of last season when it seemed he had evolved). They do like to get Davis involved on some of their boot actions, especially backside. I also thought he’d have a little bigger role in the red zone; looked good down there on some routes this summer. I’ll be curious to see what happens to him the rest of the season — and beyond.
JK
John: An Albert Haynesworth question. I keep reading quotes from the head coach like today’s “Anytime you’re away for six days, there’s a loss of conditioning obviously” Obviously no one “loses conditioning” in six days-especially a full time athlete. Can you decode the Shanahan speak here?
Don
Fairfax, Va
Don: For Albert missing six days of workout could impact how much he can play in a game. He wasn’t in fantastic shape beforehand, so it could limit him to, say, playing a third less than he did vs. Philadelphia. But I also think a lot of it relates to how well he knows the game plan for that week. My hunch is that this is as big an issue; so much of what they do up front is based on working in concert together that if someone doesn’t understand the scheme it could throw things off.
JK
John: Thanks for the great work. My question is concerning the offensive line and all the juggling here lately due to, among other things, injury. I noticed that Artis Hicks looked much more comfortable at tackle than at guard during the Packers game and it made me wonder why Stephon Heyer ever sees time at right tackle. Now, full disclosure, I always am at a loss for why he plays given his rare ability to single-handedly cripple our offense, but seeing Hicks relative comfort level made me wonder why he doesn’t slide over when Brown goes out and have Will Montgomery come in at right guard. Is it better to have fewer position changes for the sake of cohesion, or should the “best five” concept come into play? I believe in the latter but would like your opinion. Thanks.
Trevor Walters
Birmingham, AL
Trevor: I share your confusion about Heyer. But most coaches opt to disrupt their lines as little as possible. So they’d rather make a one-for-one swap. In this system – in most systems – you need to have good tackle play first (and then center; guards are last). I agree that Hicks looked more comfortable at tackle than guard; I don’t think he always gets low enough inside to be effective. But he bent his knees enough to work at tackle. I do think the players have more confidence in Heyer playing than in Montgomery. Not sure either is a good option.
JK
John: What’s happening lately with Terrence Austin on the practice squad? He looked like a pretty good player with a Shanahan-type attitude and work-ethic in pre-season. Why are they looking outside the team for WRs after releasing Thomas?
Steve Harper
Steve: The problem for Terrence is that the role he would fill is already occupied by Armstrong and Brandon Banks. So I don’t think he’s any closer to being promoted than he was a week ago, unless something happens to one of these players (or Joey Galloway). A guy like Roydell Williams is bigger so I don’t think he’d replace him. Then you’d have five very small receivers.
JK
Hi John: I have a theory about Donovan McNabb throwing into the dirt. It
seemed during the 2nd half against the Eagles that he was feeling pressure,
and changed his throwing motion. I thought he was cocking his arm lower and
near his helmet, and trying to throw with a quicker shorter follow-through.
Please take a look at those throws into the dirt, and see if you notice
this.
Fred Maurhoff
Fred: I agree; there were a couple times he short-armed the throw. Actually, it happens every game — and I remember seeing it in the past when the Redskins would play the Eagles. When not under pressure he can extend his arm a bit further. On some of the short passes I noticed he did not take as long a stride and he short-armed the throw. Asked Kyle Shanahan about it today. Here’s his response (and he agreed that McNabb misses low a lot):
“When quarterbacks do miss low its because they’re halfway between running and throwing. Your body gets moving fast to run and then you see a throw and you can’t slow it down so it goes into the ground. It’s more just getting him a clean pocket, allowing him to stay a passer, keep his feet under him, have a good center of gravity and make balanced accurate throws.”
JK
