Fred Davis is number 1 on the Redskins TE Depth Chart

The Camp Battles series rolls on with a look at the Tight End group. If you missed the earlier posts, they are below:

• Redskins Training Camp Battles: Running Backs
• Redskins Training Camp Battles: Defensive Backs
• Redskins Training Camp Battles: Defensive Line

The Redskins first two tight ends on the depth chart aren’t changing this season if Fred Davis is healthy. The IF, comes into play because Davis is still on the mend from a ruptured Achilles tendon, but signs point to him being ready to resume football activity by June. Fred Davis is the obvious No. 1 on the depth chart and should compete to be the primary ball receiver in the Skins offense. The next man up would be Logan Paulsen, who is the teams best blocking tight end and is needed on the end of our line for the stretch zone running plays.

As for the competition between rookie Jordan Reed and Niles Paul for playing time in the offense, it all depends on Niles Paul’s development in his third year (second year as a tight end) and how Jordan Reed looks against NFL talent. Right now there is no way of knowing the answer to each question. Paul does have a year as a tight end and a year in our system so that should help him. Paul has great straight-line speed, but often times quickness and athletic ability matter more for getting open in the middle of the field, something that Reed already has the ability to excel at. But regardless of any improvements Niles Paul makes, the Shanahan’s will find a role for the versatile Reed in their offense.

It is widely known that Reed is a terrific athletic, he might be the best athlete on the Redskins roster day one.  He has also shown a great running-back-like ability in open field after the catch. At this point, there is question as to if Reed can be a viable replacement for Fred Davis if Davis goes unsigned after this season. His role in the receiving game will have to outdo his lack of blocking if he is going to see a lot of time on the field this season. He has a looooong way to go as a blocker. A long way! Davis keeps improving as a blocker every year, but it even took him several seasons to become efficient enough as a blocker where coaches felt he was an every down tight end. Just look back to Davis’ first 3 seasons in the NFL where Cooley continuously beat him out mostly because of his blocking. Reed is entering the NFL even further behind Davis in terms of blocking. Currently, Reed would have major issues if he’s asked to block along the line of scrimmage right now. That will certainly be one of the things coaches will be working on with him. One thing that Reed can do well is block on the move if he asked to, so he could see field time in a role similar to how Washington used Niles Paul last season.  Reed is a mismatch for LBs with his athleticism and for DBs with his size as a tight end. So again, it is going to come down to whether or not Reed can make improvements up front and whether or not his impact in the passing game will override his limitations as a blocker.

There is definitely a spot for Reed in this offense because of his versatility and that alone is why people believe in time he could have Aaron Hernandez type production at some point. Jordan Reed will definitely be one to watch during training camp.

NEXT UP: Offensive Line

If you haven’t heard by now, the Washington Wizards found some luck during the NBA Draft Lottery last night. With a few lucky draws of the ping pong balls, they jumped up from the 8th position to landing the 3rd overall pick in the draft come June.

It appears that the consensus is Nerlens Noel will be the number one pick overall (certainly still not a lock), and that the Orlando Magic are high on shooting guard Ben McElmore. Keep in mind it is still very early in the process, and teams have yet to hold individual workouts, so it is very possible that the order of these top prospects could end up changing.

Early mock drafts seem to have the Wizards choice narrowed down to two players — Anthony Bennet and Otto Porter Jr. Other top prospects that should still be on the board when the Wizards are picking are Victor Oladipo, Alex Len, and Shabazz Muhammad.

So going with the assumption that Noel and McElmore will be off the board, who is your (early) pick for the Wizards?

Vote in the poll, and feel free to explain your vote in the comments section below. If you choose the other option, let us know who your pick is.

Don’t Worry Guys…I Got You

Last night the the Wizards fans experienced their most excitement since winning the 2010 Draft Lottery and the right to draft John Wall. Yes that is sad to think about that the climax of Wizardom excitement has come from draft lotteries the last three years, but when such excitement occurs, GIFs are the only way to express said excitement. Enjoy!

***All GIF’s via GIPHY, which might just be the best place on the internets.***

-At 8:32 after a belly full of steak and four beers deep. Aka before the announcement of the draft order:

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- At around 8:41 when Adam Silver announced “The Detroit Pistons will be selecting 8th overall”:

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- My friend who is a Bobcats fan after the Suns landed the 5th pick and then after the Bobcats slid to the 4th pick. Hopefully it doesn’t rain today, because my roof has holes in it:

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- Dancing my socks off after it is announced that the Wizards will be drafting 3rd overall. Jeffrey was quite impressed. And so was my dog Lucy:

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- Immediately after the lottery. Letting everyone know that was watching with me who the boss is:

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- And finally letting everyone at work today know who is picking 3rd overall on June 27th:

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- And my Bobcats friend and Michael Jordan this morning:

Since May 10, the Washington Nationals have been miserable/depressing/dreary/dull/lackluster… pick your own negative adjective as you please.  They lost a series (1-2) to the Chicago Cubs at home, lost another (1-2) to the Dodgers on the road, split a series (2-2) with the Padres in San Diego, and are looking to avoid a three-game sweep today to the Giants as they have lost the first two in San Francisco.  Over the course of these 12 games they have been outscored 54-36.  The Nationals have plated just 36 runners in 12 games, for an average of 3 runs — which is accurate to their average for the season — just a hair better at 3.4 runs per game.

Every team has their woes over the course of a 162-game season.  The Nationals have been bit by the injury bug.  I do think this team can and will turn on the sticks when they have a healthy lineup with Werth, Zimmerman, Harper, and Desmond all in the order together.  However, what I don’t understand with these early season struggles is how Davey Johnson is handling them.  When your team is slumping and losing ground on the division leading Braves day-in and day-out, why are you not fielding your best possible team?

• Why is Jhonatan Solano catching?

Again, Ramos is injured and catchers need rest more than any other position player.  Until this club can get out of this funk, Suzuki or Ramos (when healthy) should be behind the plate.  They give the team the best option to win at that position.  Monday would have marked Suzuki’s fifth straight start, and a start after a day game.  I understand it’s typical to rest catchers on day games or the night after day games, but again, we are talking about a struggling baseball team.

• Why are you starting Zach Duke? 

– who, previous to Monday’s start was carrying a 8.40 ERA.  Here’s the kicker: after Monday’s start, believe it or not, he managed to increase his ERA to a whopping 8.84, allowing 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings.  I understand that Detwiler is injured.  But wow, there HAS to be a better option (Craig Stammen? Nathan Karns? Chris Young? ANY of their prospects in the minors?) than Zach Duke.  If not, I am seriously worried for the Nationals this year.  You can’t cross your fingers and hope to retain a healthy starting rotation over the course of a season.

• Why are you bringing in Yunesky Maya in a tie ballgame in the 10th inning?

Maya is a 31(!) year-old pitcher, who, after last night’s appearance now flaunts a 5.80 career ERA in 59 innings pitched.  He recorded just one out before allowing a single to the red-hot Marco Scutaro and eventually a walk-off homerun to Pablo Sandoval.  He’s not a young pitcher the team is trying to mold into an eventual reliable bullpen reliever.  He’s 31 years-old, with little experience pitching in the bigs, and is being asked to come in and deliver for a struggling club.  Someone please explain this.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but this just doesn’t add up. When your club comes into the season with such high expectations and you are sitting close to .500 after 40+ games, this isn’t a time to experiment with the lineup.  If the Nationals were winning and had a comfortable lead in the division, I could learn to accept these decisions a bit more.  The Nationals are 4.5 games out of first place in the East and now sit in second place in the NL East with the Phillies just one game in back of them.

Exactly

Last night at approximately 8:47 PM the Washington Wizards finally had a break go their way. When Adam Silver announced that the Detroit Pistons would be selecting 8th overall instead of the Wizards, a ton of excitement and and quite a bit of relief rushed over Wiz fans everywhere. It was exciting to move up in the top 3 of the draft, and a relief that Washington wouldn’t be selecting from the scraps of the lottery prospects come June 27th. Last night was the definition of a moral victory. And there is no better way to celebrate that moral victory than with a nice music video!

The Wizards didn’t land the 1st overall selection, but I don’t think you’ll hear any fan complain about drafting 3rd. Not only does it give the Wizards a better chance to land a more quality talent, but increases the pick’s trade value if Grunfeld decides to wheel and deal.

At this moment in time one thing is for certain: The Wizards own the 3rd, 37th, and the 54th picks in the 2013 draft. We all know EG’s track record on drafting, and hopefully by moving up to 3rd overall the foreign prospects can now be an afterthought!

Let us know below who you want to see the Wiz Kids draft 3rd overall. And stay tuned as Blog So Hard will be going into tons more detail about possible draft selections for our beloved Wizards.

The Camp Battles series rolls on with a look at the running backs corp. If you missed the earlier posts, they are below:

• Redskins Training Camp Battles: Defensive Backs
• Redskins Training Camp Battles: Defensive Line

There is no question after the season that Alfred Morris had for the Redskins that he is the primary workhorse in this backfield. But behind Morris, there will be a lot of competition for two or three running back roster spots. Health will play a major role in who makes the final cut. If Roy Helu can get — and stay — healthy, he is almost guaranteed to have the spot as Morris’ main back up. As we saw in his rookie year, when healthy, Helu can be an electric change of pace running back who brings speed, power and versatility to the Redskins backfield. Helu is also a good receiver as he totaled 49 receptions as a rookie. There is the potential for Helu to be the perfect compliment to Alfred Morris’ rugged, bruising running style by bringing his change of pace speed while also allowing to take a little pressure off Morris.

The Skins also selected two more running backs in this years draft in Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison. There is a possibility one, or both, could be called upon this season to help balance the rushing load.

Chris Thompson has an electric style, but his durability is an obviously cause for concern. He suffered a broken back in 2011 and tore his ACL in 2012 while at Florida State. Thompson says he will be healthy by training camp and be able to contribute fully in Richmond.  Similar to Helu, Thompson could compliment Morris’ style as that change of pace back and will be best as a third-down back.

I also believe that either Helu or Thompson will win the Redskins kick off returning job this season. Their electric running style and open field speed would be a great asset to our return game.

As time goes on, it is becoming clear that Jawan Jamison will be threatening for a roster spot on the Redskins during training camp and the preseason.  Jamison is a lot like Ray Rice as he is undersized but is a great pass protector,  a good receiver, and a decisive one cut runner that should fit well into our system.

On the outside looking in is probably going to be Evan Royster. He is only adequate as a reserve and is replaceable, he doesn’t do anything exceptionally well but can do everything if asked. He’s better running 15-20 times a game than given spot duty and being a third-down back.

On this date my prediction for the running backs is:

Starter: Alfred Morris
Back up: Roy Helu
Back up: Chris Thompson

Practice Squad: Jawan Jamison

Time will tell is Roy Helu can stay healthy enough to have as big an impact on this offense as I believe he has the ability to. But there is a very strong chance that the Redskins could be leaning on their rookie rushers from time to time in certain game situations. This should be a fun battle to watch in Richmond.

NEXT UP: Tight Ends

Anthony Bennett is a 6’7 240 pound forward prospect in the 2013 NBA draft. He has huge hands, wide shoulders and an enormous 7’1″wingspan which gives him great ability to dunk the ball with power. He’s very athletic, long, quick & fast to go along with an impressive vertical. Scouts believe on the offensive end that Bennett could complement Wall and Beal well with his great offensive repertoire he displayed at UNLV where he averaged 16.1 points a game. He can take over the game on the offensive end and can become almost unguardable on the offensive end. He’s a very talented forward who can over-power SF’s and out quick PFs. Needless to say, Anthony Bennett is a very versatile offensive weapon.

As far as Bennett’s outside game goes, he has the ability to shoot it from long range, but must show he can extend that range to the NBA three pointer.  He also has a good mid range jump shot which he can hit within the flow of the offense or as a pull up on the fast break.  Bennett is great at creating space for his jump shot by either using a jab step on a defender or coming off a screen to catch and shoot. He has excellent footwork for someone of his size. Along with his footwork, Bennett’s shooting mechanics are very good. His shoulders are always squared and facing the basket and he is good at keeping his form the same on every shot. Last season Bennett made 36 three pointers at a rate of one per game while averaging 37.5 %. His favorite spot is on the left perimeter where he’s made 40% of his 3 pointers. He likes to hit face up jumpers in his mid range game, but it’s obvious he has the skills and abilities to further expand his game. AB’s per 40 minute point production comes to 26.2 points per game, which is one of the most efficient scoring rates in this years NBA draft.

Anthony Bennett would be a tremendous selection for what the Wizards need on their front line. The Wizards have a few outside shooters, a few defensive stoppers and an energy guy behind their starting forwards but they do not have a versatile forward who can come off the bench. Bennett would bring the Wizards instant versatile offensive energy off the bench. As I said before Bennett would be match up nightmare for most NBA small forwards and power forwards to defend for different reasons. He would be a great six man for the Wizards and will hopefully be available when the Wiz Kids are picking in June.

With Bennett, it all comes down to his effort and toughness.  Despite averaging a team high 8.1 rebounds, his aggressiveness on crashing the glass didn’t shine on a nightly basis. You would think with his big frame and great strength that he would seek out contact and be a fierce rebounder but that wasn’t always the case. How much he buys in on the defensive and in rebounding will determine if he becomes a star in the NBA. He will learn that in order to be a star he is going to have to give consistent effort, especially on the defensive end.

Give us your thoughts on whether you think Mr. Anthony Bennett would be a good fit on next year’s Wizards squad. With AB not being able to participate in workouts, he might just fall to wherever Washington will be drafting.

The Camp Battles series rolls on with a look at the defensive line unit. If you missed the earlier posts, they are below:

• Redskins Training Camp Battles: Defensive Backs

The Redskins’ defensive line has the chance to be the teams deepest and best unit. The front office has been building their defensive line ever since Mike Shanahan was hired in 2010 and he made the decision to convert the Redskins defense from a 4-3, with 4 down lineman and 3 linebackers to a 3-4, with 3 down lineman and 4 line backers. They have been transitioning to a 3 down defensive line for 3 years now and it is believed they now have the talent to perform at expected levels. If the Redskins defensive line can avoid the injuries it faced the past two seasons then it can finally reach its full potential.

Just getting players back from injury will help bolster the line. The return of Adam Carriker at left defensive end to split time with Jarvis Jenkins will be huge. Stephen Bowen at right defensive end, and Barry Cofield at nose tackle return a group that have experience playing with each other the past two seasons. Add to that reserve veteran and team leader Kedric Golston — who was brought back on a three year contract to add veteran depth –  to go with young talented nose tackles Chris Baker and Chris Neild and the Redskins defensive line has everything you need. They have continuity, versatility, veteran leadership and developing youth. They also retained Doug Worthington, and added Ron Brace and Phillip Merling in free agency for competition at defensive end.

Behind Cofield at NT, Chris Baker has flashed some potential as has our 7th rounder in 2011 Chris Neild. It is believed that Baker can also play DE, so there is a strong possibility the Redskins keep Baker even if Neild beats him out at NT. Versatility is a great thing to have in the NFL and Baker can certainly bring that.

The Redskins have their top five defensive linemen along with Golston returning for this season. The key position battles for the Redskins defensive line will be for the starting left defensive end position between Adam Carriker and Jarvis Jenkins, the reserve defensive end position behind Stephen Bowen between Kedric Golston, Doug Worthington, Ron Brace and Phillip Merling and lastly at reserve nose tackle between Chris Neild and Chris Baker.

At this point I see the Redskins depth chart as this:

RDE: Stephen Bowen, Kedric Golston

NT:  Barry Cofield, Chris Baker, Chris Neild

RDE: Adam Carriker, Jarvis Jenkins

Washington’s defensive line is definitely set for the 2013 season, and more than likely for at least the next 2 years. And with key guys coming back from injury, this group should be a strong suit for a defense looking to vastly improve.

NEXT UP: Running Backs

Will the rookies shine in camp?

**This is the first post in my Camp Battles series where I will be taking a look at the position by position training camp battles that we need to keep an eye on**

On this date it is hard to pick the five players who will see the most playing time in the secondary week one. Right now, I think the corner backs who will see the most playing time in week one are:

Josh Wilson, DeAngelo Hall and E.J. Biggers

By mid season though, there is a good chance that second round draft pick David Amerson will replace Biggers as the third corner back in the Skins’ rotation. The final roster spot should be Richard Crawford’s. This means that Chase Minnifield is going to be on the practice squad for a year of development.

Just like the corner backs it is hard to predict which safeties will make the roster but at this point I will try. Everyone knows that if  Brandon Meriweather is healthy, he will win one starting spot but  the other spot is up in the air. The rookie safeties, Bacarri Rambo and Philip Thomas, will have a hard time earning a starting spot week one. It’s nice to fantasize about one of them doing so, but at this point, it’s a far fetched thought. They both have to learn a lot and our defense is complicated for the safeties, they have to be interchangeable.

This leaves Reed Doughty, DeJon Gomes and Jordan Pugh to battle it out for the other starting spot next to Meriweather. We all know Doughty is better at SS, but so is Meriweather. DeJon Gomes needs to improve a lot before he can be counted on to be a starter but he’s shown flashes, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility to think Gomes can make the jump in his 3rd year in our system to be a starter. Jordan Pugh will be in the mix and he has the versatility to play each safety position but has never started in the NFL. Both Gomes and Pugh are going to have to play lights out this training camp and preseason to earn a starting spot next to Meriweather. If they don’t, neither is likely to make the Redskins final 53 man roster.

Tanard Jackson is the wild card at the safety position this season. If he is reinstated he could be a factor in the second half of the season but no one knows what kind of shape he’s in because he would have had a year away from football.

What the Redskins could do is use combinations and use players in different roles, which they did a lot of that last year. Again, both Thomas and Rambo “might be” more talented than our returning safeties, but again, they have to learn a lot. The safeties in our defense are expected to do so much. They have a great role in both run support and in pass coverage and that takes a while to learn. Each safety also must be interchangeable at strong safety and free safety for the Redskins defensive scheme to be at its best. Of the two rookies, Thomas could take over in the middle of the season at one of the safety positions, if he improves his tackling.

Without a doubt, the defensive backs position is going to be one of the best battles to watch come training camp as it could go in so many directions.

Next Up: Defensive Line

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, Draft Lottery Day has become a staple for the Washington Wizards and is something Wizards fans have become accustomed to lately. It is essentially Christmas in May. Sadly, it also has the potential to be the Christmas where Santa didn’t show up, disappointing the faithful after suffering through another miserable season.

But there is always that small chance of hope. That small part of you deep down inside that says with a sigh, “yeah, it could happen.”

When the draft lottery occurs on Tuesday, May 21st, the Wizards will have the 8th best shot at landing the first overall pick.

The purpose of this article is to break down the possible scenarios that the Wizards could be looking at. While the actual process of how the lottery works — along with going behind the curtain into the mysterious lottery room where the “magic” happens — is mathematically complicated, the actual results and possible outcomes are not. If you are more interested in reading about the the mathematics behind the process and all the possible combinations and permutations and blah, blah, blah, just check out the Wiki page here. There you will find things such as this:

To determine the winner, fourteen ping pong balls numbered 1–14 are placed in a standard lottery machine and four balls are randomly selected from the lot. Just as in most traditional lotteries, the order in which the numbers are drawn is not important. That is, 1-2-3-4 is considered to be the same as 4-3-2-1. So although there is a total of 24 (4!) orders in which the balls numbered 1-2-3-4 can be picked, they are all treated as the same outcome. In doing this, the permutation of 4 balls from 14 becomes the combination of 4 balls from 14. That is, the total of 24,024 (14! / 10!, or 14x13x12x11) possible permutations is reduced by a factor of 24, to 1,001 combinations (or 14! / (10! x 4!)). Of these, 1 outcome is disregarded and 1,000 outcomes are distributed among the 14 non-playoff NBA teams. The combination 11-12-13-14 (in any order that those numbers are drawn) is not assigned and it is ignored if drawn; this has never occurred in practice.

But for the majority of us fans, we just want to know what can or can not happen. And that is what we are here for.

There are many misconceptions as to how exactly the lottery works, but here is the most important thing you need to understand: The NBA Draft Lottery only determines who will be selecting the top 3 picks. After the order of the top three picks are decided (by the lottery combinations), the rest of the order falls in place according to seeding. For example, this year the Orlando Magic represent the 1 seed with the most chances to land the #1 overall pick. If 3 teams with worse odds happen to land in the 1, 2 and 3 spot, the worst Orlando can pick is 4th. The rest of the picks after the top 3 will fall in order. The chart below does a good job clearing up some of this confusion:

Chart via Wikipedia

As you can see, what this means for the Wizards is that they can not land in the 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th slot. The two scenarios that are most likely to occur are either staying put at pick 8, or dropping back to pick 9 which would require a team 9-14 to jump up into the top 3.  The Wizards have a higher percent chance of moving up to a top 3 selection than they do of being jumped by 2 or 3 teams and falling to 10 or 11.

So with some of the confusing stuff out of the way, what are the possible outcomes the Wizards could be looking at on Tuesday?

Getting Jumped and Falling Back

In this scenario, the Wizards would have to get jumped by a team behind them in the 9-14th slot. It is mathematically possible for all three of the top 3 picks to be from the teams seeded behind the Wizards, but extremely improbable. It is also very doubtful that 2 worse teams will jump up, so if the Wizards are to fall at all, it would most likely be back one spot to the 9th selection. When watching the televised lottery, if a team 14 through 9 is supposed to be called and they are not, this is bad news as it would signal they jumped up to the top 3.

Staying Put

The most likely scenario. The Wizards have a 72.4% chance of staying locked into the 8th pick. Again, as the picks are called, you are rooting for the Wizards name not to be announced. If it gets to the 8th pick and the Wizards have not been called yet, then the party will start. At least at my house it will. But the most likely scenario will be the Wizards staying put and drafting 8th overall in June.

Moving On Up

There is still the outside chance that the lottery gods will smile down on this franchise. They have a 2.8% chance of landing the top pick, a 3.3% chance for 2nd, and a 3.9% chance for 3rd. Again, top 3 is the only place that Washington can move up to. So what you want to look for when watching the lottery on TV is the Wizards NOT getting their name called in that 8th selection (or prior). If Washington is not called by time they announce the 8th spot, that means they have jumped up to the top 3 spots. It also means Santa came in May for us Wizards fan and we would all be just as excited as these little guys.

The good news about the lottery is that they start at the top. They call the 14th selection first and then work their way down. The closer they get to the 8th selection the more the anticipation builds. We don’t want to see any team not called in their corresponding slot, until they get to the 8th pick, at which point we want to hear the Detroit Pistons are picking 8th, which would signal that Washington has made the leap to the top 3. So come Tuesday folks put on your luckiest of Wiz Gear — I will personally by wearing my lucky Bullets shirt that I had on when the Wiz won the John Wall sweepstakes — get the rabbit feet out, cross your fingers, say a prayer, hop in the luckiest seat in your house, and hopefully the last card Adam Silver pulls out on the envelopes in 3 days will have a Washington Wizards logo on it!

In order for the Redskins defense to take that next step as a unit and make Washington a contender, Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan must become one of the best pass rushing duos in the NFL.  Obviously, when we invested two first round picks on these players we expected for them to bring us a dominant pass rush. These two are going to be the keys to this defense performing up to the level they need to to compliment the high powered offense.

As has been reported before, Rak is 100% healthy now, 5 months before the season so we should look forward to a big year from him. Having a healthy 1-2 punch from your rushers is extremely important, and the impact the Orakpo injury had on this defense last season can’t be understated.  If Kerrigan can continue his progression the way he did from his rookie year to last year, he should have double digit sacks this season. Having Orakpo back will make the entire front 7 better as teams will key on slowing him down and that will free up other pass rushers. Hopefully, our pass rush returns to getting 40+ sacks this year, as they did in 2011 when Orakpo was healthy opposite Kerrigan, instead of staying only in the low 30s as they did in 2012 w/o Rak. Also, without Orakpo our pass defense dropped from 13th in 2011 to 30th last year. His pressure was greatly missed as quarterbacks had more time to find open wide receivers.

Before last season began, their was already a heated discussion amongst media and fans if Orakpo could ever elevate his game to the next level and become an elite lass rusher. Pro Football Focus ranked Orakpo as the No. 4 rush linebacker in the league in 2011 behind only Aldon Smith, DeMarcus Ware and Cameron Wake. Still to most media members and fans alike, nine sacks didn’t feel like enough for a player drafted as high as he was, especially when playing on a defense that always makes stars out of outside linebackers.

Kerrigan was picked 16th overall in the 2011 draft. As I said, he has steadily gotten better in each of his two seasons. When the Redskins selected Kerrigan, their vision of a hyper-athletic pass-rush from each side of the defense came true.  In 2011 offenses were forced to have to focus on stopping either Orakpo or Kerrigan with double teams and thus freeing the other one to go one on one vs an offensive tackle. The Redskins haven’t had that kind of effective pass rush since the 80s when they had Mann and Manley. Teams did what most expected in 2011, they committed extra blockers to Orakpo. When they did that, it allowed Kerrigan to face just one blocker and with his great pass rushing skills he was able to take advantage of less athletic right tackles.

Kerrigan had 7.5 sacks as a rookie in 2011 and 8.5 in 2012, in spite of having to play without Orakpo in the final 14 games. Without Orakpo, teams were able to commit those extra blockers to Kerrigan last year but it didn’t slow him down as he tallied one more sack on the season than he had as a rookie. Kerrigan has flashed playmaking ability in each of his first two seasons in DC. He had an interception returned for a touchdown in both 2011 and 2012.

Despite how well both players have played as Redskins, the team still hasn’t  gotten get the consistent, week-to-week quarterback pressure needed for the defense to become one of the best in the NFL. The Redskins need their young duo of pass rushing outside linebackers to take the next step in their development and become the best pass rush in the division. If Kerrigan and Orakpo can take the step from being good to elite, then Redskins as a team should take the next step as well and start winning playoff games.

It all starts up front with these two on the defense though.

Part of the DC Flag Collection

Training camp is on the horizon Redskins fans and it’s time to get laced up in the latest and greatest Skins gear! The guys over at Sneeki’s Tees have just released some new Redskins themed shirts so you will be ready for the upcoming NFL season before the players are. Last year Sneeki’s Alfred Morris design was such a hit that it sold out. Many Skins fans have been waiting for this new crop of tees to be released, and now they are finally here.

If you haven’t heard of Sneekis yet, you better get on the bandwagon. They are quickly becoming a force in the DMV sports market with their great designs and comfortable apparel. So check them out and get geared up.

Here are some of the new designs:

An homage to the glory years

Last week I detailed some 2nd round prospects that the Washington Wizards should take a look at. Since some of those players have been moving up a majority of draft boards, it’s time to dig deeper in the 2nd round and check out a few additional prospects that the Wiz should have atop their draft board come round two.

Reggie Bullock – 6’7″ SG/SF, North Carolina

Listen to this: A sweet shooting 6’7″ swing man whose penetration is evolving. Remind you or someone? (cough cough) Martell Webster. Come draft day we won’t know if Webster will be re-signed, so why not draft Martell 2.0? Bullock averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting .436 from downtown. In mock drafts around the internet, the UNC product has been pegged as high as pick 30 and as low as the middle of the second round. If Reggie is there in round two, he would be a nice insurance policy if Martell flies the coop.

Ray McCallum – 6’2″ PG, Detroit 

The back-up PG spot is a position that should be upgraded in the off-season. Enter Ray McCallum. Not to be confused with top 10 prospect C.J. McCollum from Lehigh. The 6’3″ PG can put points on the board in a hurry and is also a solid rebounder and passer. Ray averaged 18.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists to go along with 1.9 steals per game. McCallum is a strong, fast athlete that would fit nicely in a reserve role behind Mr. John Wall. He’s being pegged as a middle to late second round pick, and would be a nice addition to the Wiz Kid’s bench.

Deshaun Thomas – 6’7″ SF, Ohio State

Deshaun Thomas may or may not be available in the second round. I’ve seen him gone as high as 26 in some mocks and as low as pick 43. Thomas is a high scoring swing man who can penetrate, is a decent shooter, and has a nice post up game. The 3rd year man out of Ohio State averaged 19.8 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting .344 from deep. He would be an upgrade over what Washington currently deploys off the bench.

Mike Muscala – 6’11″ C, Bucknell

You can never have too much size, and Mike Muscala would be a great reserve big man for the Wizards. He’s mobile and a fluid athlete that has a nice low-post game. Muscala was a four year player at Bucknell that averaged 18.7 points, 11.1 rebounds 2.3 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game. In a 10-15 minute per game role (and possibly more), Muscala could be a valuable big man off the bench. He could also fit the mold of the stretch 4 that Washington desperately needs.  He’s been pegged anywhere from the top 10 to the bottom 10 of the 2nd round. If Washington doesn’t draft a big man with their first round selection or pick 37, Muscala would be a great value pick at 54.

As much as draft pundits are claiming this is a weak draft, there seems to be some real solid value in the 2nd round. Depending on how our first round selection plays out, all four of these guys should be on the Wizards draft radar for round two.

Stay tuned readers, as after the draft lottery we will be digging in to prospects for our first round selection! Stay Steezy this weekend readers, and don’t go pulling a Titus Young.

Stephen Strasburg hit a career milestone last night against the San Diego Padres. For the first time in his career, he pitched into the 8^th inning.

One of the best things about this start is that Strasburg was allowed to throw 117 pitches. This was just shy of his career high pitch count, in June of last season he threw 119 pitches in six-innings against the Reds.  And over his 4-year career Strasburg has only made it to the 7^th inning 10 times.

For a Nationals fan and someone that truly wants to see Strasburg do well I love seeing that his limitations have been lifted. This outing will be, in my mind, a great step forward in his young career. Over the last few outings prior to this one, Strasburg has not shown the best mental state on the mound. But being allowed to pitch deep into the game shows that the Washington Nationals still have supreme confidence in their ace.

So what’s next for Strasburg: complete game?

Irene Pollin and her lucky yellow blaser won the John Wall sweepstakes

On Sunday, Ben Standig of Comcast Sportsnet-Washington wrote an article on who the Wizards should send to stand in for the franchise for the NBA Draft Lottery later this month.  Standig makes quality cases for some names (John Wall, Bradley Beal, Nene) and wrote a solid post on a topic so intriguing that left me wanting more. So, I decided to come up with a few more ideas on who gets to be the lucky person to be able to grin awkwardly into the camera as the team is awarded the 10th or 11th pick, much like when your aunt gives you undershirts for Christmas and you have to act excited.

               Cartier Martin or Garrett Temple:

The NBA Draft is, for sixty lucky athletes, one of the greatest nights of their lives. After all the hours of wind sprints and shooting drills, they are about to become players in the most prestigious basketball league in the world. Plus, they are about to get PAID.  As the Wizards’ current roster stands, Martin and Temple are two players are the only two Wizards who never had  the opportunity to hear their names called on Draft Night. So by my logic, they deserve to be involved in something draft-related for once in their lives.

                            G-Wiz:

Ever since the team changed their name to the Wizards in 1997, there has only been one constant for the team: G-Wiz, the lovable blue…mascot thingy.   While no one knows what exactly G-Wiz is, it has always been around, whether it was distracting  fans from the dreadful teams at the turn of the millennium to distracting fans from the dreadful teams of the past few years, if anyone or thing has earned the right to be on ESPN smiling for the camera, it’s the…mascot thingy that may or may not have a mouth to smile with.

                 Andray Blatche:

Yes, he no longer plays in D.C. Yes, he spent the last months of his final year collecting DNP-Conditioning’s like crazy cat ladies collect tabbies.  Also, he was waived unceremoniously. But because he was amnestied, the Wizards are paying Blatche $23 million dollars to do nothing. If the team is forking over that much cash to Seven Day Dray, the least he could do is show up to NBA headquarters in a suit and tie and sit around for the presentation.

         Gheorghe Muresan:

Muresan, the tallest player in NBA history at 7’7, has been working for the team in their PR department for a while now. He is also a cult figure among Wizards fans and a welcome sight at the Verizon Center, so this choice would be a solid decision. Besides, if the team somehow gets the top pick to fall into their laps, the night will be capped off with some dancing.

             God Shammgod:

Many athletes claim to have him in their favor, but if the Wizards bring the former player who only played 20 games in his NBA career, the team can truly say, without a doubt, that they have God on their side.

           Steve Buckhantz:

He’s not actually a part of the Wizards organization, but his voice is one of the things most associated with the franchise. While he would represent the team along with the other stand-ins, his real contribution would be commentating on the revealing of the draft positioning. Imagine the Utah Jazz, with their 0.5% chance of receiving the top pick, somehow grabbing the top spot. Would a “NO! NOT POSSIBLE!”  not fit the moment perfectly? Or the Wizards lucking into the #1 pick, crowned with a cry of “DAGGER!” Steve Buckhantz could potentially turn an event involving ping-pong balls into the most exciting thing in sports that night, topping several MLB games and a NBA playoff match-up.