The Redskins Blog

Luck Talks Spider Two-Y Bananas, Tonight

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It took seven months and 1,200 posts, but I’ve finally worked the word ‘banana’ into a post.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck makes his televised job interview debut tonight, with the return of Jon Gruden’s QB Camp at 7 p.m. on ESPN.  As a player who might just be available at No. 2 in this April’s draft, it would behoove Redskins fans to DVR the program and see how Luck acts in the meeting room.

The of the interview revolves around Luck’s ability to diagnose Gruden’s play, delightfully called “Green Right Slot Spider Two-Y Banana.”  Here is a brief clip from tonight’s conversation: Read more »

Stanford Pro Day Reveals More Than Luck

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[Editor's Disclaimer: Please remember that the Redskins do not have a player selected for April's Draft, they merely hold the second overall pick.  Even if there isn't much secrecy left in this process, there is still formality, and the only team that can have any player is the Colts with the first overall pick. Anything after that is still a possibility.  We will continue to respect the draft process, in the best interests of the team and the player.]

For the second-consecutive afternoon, Redskins brass was pictured on the sidelines of a high-profile pro day, this one at Palo Alto, Calif.

This was a whirlwind trip for the representatives of most NFL teams (and ESPN, and Comcast, and the NFL Network, and whoever else was there), drawn by the mystique of two elite quarterback prospects.  The difference between the Redskins (and Colts), and 30 of the other teams, is that the Redskins actually have a legitimate chance to land one of the big fish.

Everyone else was just window shopping.

Ultimately, nothing is a done deal with the Redskins’ pick until the Colts call out the name of the first overall pick on April 26th–until then it’s all speculation.  But watching the last two Pro Days should have fans convinced that there will be a special player on the board, regardless of what the Colts do at No. 1.

And for the other teams in attendance over the last two days, there was clearly some other top-tier talent to drool over at Baylor and Stanford.  Here’s a brief rundown of the top guys that Luck and Griffin were throwing to: Read more »

Watch Stanford’s Pro Day Live At 2 P.M.

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Yesterday, we witnessed Robert Griffin III solidify his top of the draft status with a commanding Pro Day at Baylor University.  Today, we get the chance to make fair and unfair comparisons to other top prospect Andrew Luck at the Stanford Pro Day.

I can’t wait.

Redskins fans should be equally intrigued by today’s workout, because there are no guarantees that the Colts are stuck on Luck at No. 1.  Hypothetically, if the Colts were to select RG3 at No. 1, then Luck would be the best available quarterback prospect left in the draft.

If the Colts passed on both quarterbacks, then the Redskins would have to choose which one they like better.  That’s why the Redskins top brass is reportedly in Palo Alto, Calif. this afternoon, covering their bases.

And hey, if the Colts and Redskins both pass on quarterbacks, then the Vikings get to decide.  But hey, let’s be serious… Read more »

Fletcher Rejects Can’t-Miss Prospect Label

via NFL Network/NFL.com

On last night’s NFL Network episode of Total Access, Redskins linebacker London Fletcher sat in on discussion about the proverbial ‘can’t-miss’ status of certain prospects coming out of the college ranks.

In this year’s Draft, as with many years, the discussion this year is centered around quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.  Luck has been referred to by many as the top-rated prospect in years, or perhaps ever.  Griffin³  is far from an also-ran, and has drawn comparisons to every mobile quarterback from Michael Vick to Steve Young.

But with every story of college excellence translating to the pros (see children of Archie Manning, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan), there are horror stories and prospects who failed miserably (see Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Tim Couch, Heath Shuler, JaMarcus Russell, etc.).

The total access discussion focused specifically on Luck, and was kicked off by Matt Millen, who can speak from his time in Detroit: ‘can’t-misses’ can miss.  Giants’ offensive guard David Diehl agreed, citing the tools that a quarterback has at his disposal.

Fletcher agreed with the panel, having seen many a hot-shot quarterbacks come and go.  Here was his 59 cents on the topic (via NFL.com) Read more »

Stanford Prospect Is Redskins’ Namesake

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At the time of birth, parents have the obligation to name their child.  With that naming, they hold the power to set their kid up for life with either a great name, or a very difficult standard.

One unfortunate example comes to mind.

In high school, I had the opportunity to work with a kid from Arizona named Michael Irvin.  By the time I met him, he had already heard all of the jokes.  No, nobody had ever called him “The Playmaker.”  No, he wasn’t a triplet.  And no, he really wasn’t any good at football.

But his parents were such big Cowboys fans at the time of his birth, that they elected to name him after they’re favorite player.  Seriously.

At around the same time, somewhere near Lemont, Ill., Michelle and Bill Fleener were watching a Redskins game, when famed Redskins Hog Joe Jacoby was pictured on the screen.  Family legend says that Michelle, quite pregnant at the time, turned to her husband and asked him what he thought of the name “Jacoby Fleener.” Read more »

‘Griffin Enterprises’ Ready For Combine

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Regardless of where he’s eventually taken in April’s NFL Draft, one of the most facinating prospects from this year’s class will be Heisman-winning Baylor quarterback RG3.

Or maybe I should say, ‘Robert Griffin III, CEO of Griffin Enterprises.’  That’s how he described his job to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, shortly before he left for the NFL Combine:

“This is a business trip,” Griffin, 22, says after a workout in Arizona last weekend. “I’m the CEO of Griffin Enterprises. It’s my job to go sell my product.”

But what exactly will that product be?  Rumors have suggested that top quarterback prospect Andrew Luck is ‘willing but unlikely to throw‘ at the Combine, acknowledging that it could only hurt his sky-high stock.  As the clock ticks down to throw time, it’s now being questioned whether or not Griffin will throw either: Read more »

WalterFootball.Com Is Not Feeling Optimistic About Your 2011 Redskins

I was working on my 2011 mock draft today — my 2011 mock top 10, to be more accurate, and it should be up on Redskins.com any second now — but doing that leaves me depressingly behind the times. The folks at WalterFootball.com are serious about their NFL Draft coverage, serious enough that they’re already doing their 2012 mock draft.

You might think that this would be challenging, since neither the 2011 college football season (which might affect players’ draft status just a little bit) nor the 2011 NFL season (which would set the draft order) has happened yet. But the folks at WalterFootball are undeterred; they’ve simply reversed the order of their Power Rankings — which featured the Redskins at the bottom (and which means that, yes, my inflammatory headline is a bit inaccurate) — and extrapolated from existing college football data.

And that’s how they’ve determined that the your Washington Redskins will be drafting Andrew Luck, QB out of Stanford, in 2012. The reasoning? “With a poor 2011 quarterbacking class, Washington may have to roll with Rex Grossman (yeesh) and wait a year to find a long-term solution at the position.”

So that’s something to look forward to, I guess.

(Hat tip to @jamiegraham for spotting this.) Read more »