The Redskins Blog

Video: Redskins Have Fun At Play 60 Event

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(Photos via Jose Argueta and the Redskins Instagram)

See more photos from the Play 60 Mini-Combine

More than 120 students from nearby Sterling Middle School got a chance hang out with their favorite Washington Redskins players and get in a good workout Tuesday.

The Redskins played host to an NFL Play 60 Mini-Combine at their Ashburn, Va., facility, and took advantage of their new indoor training facility by taking things inside as rains and heavy winds moved over the area.

The event was a team effort between the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, Commonwealth Orthopaedics, DePuy Mitek, Inc. and Safe Kids Worldwide.

The students were being trained with the help of nine Redskins players who were happy to participate on their day off Tuesday, including:

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Seven Redskins On All-NFC East Team

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The Washington Redskins had seven representatives (at eight positions) in the first edition of ESPN.com NFC East blogger Dan Graziano’s All-NFC East Team.

For those of you unfamiliar, the ESPN.com All-NFC East team is Graziano’s running list of the best players at each position in the division. This week’s list will be the only time that it is based on the performances of a single week (Week 1).

Which Redskins made the cut to start off the 2012 season? Here’s the list:

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Young Still Inspired By Military Family

As if Washington Redskins’ fullback Darrel Young needed any more adrenaline last season in the team’s season-opener against the New York Giants — Young’s first-career start — the Villanova product was also hyped by the presence of his brother, David, who has done several military tours in the Middle East in recent years.

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Young Salutes Departed Veteran Sellers

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In the extensive discussions of player productivity that fans and media have, sometimes it’s easy to lose the human element that makes players real.

Football fans don’t need to be reminded that some of the greatest talents to ever take the field were some of the worst human beings off of it.  Redskins fans remember that some of the favorite sons in Washington were those that gave back to their teammates and community as much as they produced on the field.

Players choose how they want to be remembered, both for better and worse.  Take, for example, former fullback Mike Sellers.  Sellers was an undrafted free agent from a small school (Walla Walla CC), who needed a second chance and second stint with the team in order to make an impact.

He played in Washington for a total of 11 seasons, made a Pro Bowl, and blocked for dozens of 100-yard games.  But his lasting legacy was his unselfish willingness to train and mold his eventual replacement, breakout player Darrel Young.

In his most recent blog entry, Young discussed the two-year impact that Sellers had on his career, and thanked him for being a mentor that he needed, but didn’t have to be. Read more »

Young Repays Support With World Tour

Intensity.  Passion.  Commitment.

These are a few of the qualities that push Redskins fullback Darrel Young to new heights on the football field.  Indeed, these are things that every athlete needs in order to make it in pro sports, although every player draws it from a different place.

For Young, that source has always been in his brother David, a sergeant first class in the US Army.  David has been deployed in the Middle East for much of Darrel’s career, but remains close with his brother, providing him with guidance and support, even from a world away.

In an effort to repay the favor, Darrel has teamed up with the Bills’ Drayton Florence and the Buccaneers’ James Lee as part of the “NFL Players Super Bowl Tour.”  Since departing the United States on Feb. 1, the trio has visited troops stationed in Greenland, El Salvador and Honduras.

According to Young’s personal blog, this is an honor for him, and a debt that he needs to repay to his brother: Read more »

Young, NFL To Visit Deployed Military Units

I’m not sure if Redskins fullback Darrel Young is a fan of literature, but his life has captured the essence of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”

Coming out of Villanova as a linebacker, Young went undrafted and unsigned in the 2009 NFL Draft.  Most players in that position would give up on their dreams, but not Young.

When Young finally did get his chance in training camp, he couldn’t make the cut and didn’t make the team.  Most players in that position would move on to other opportunities, but not Young.  He focused on improving, and finally got his chance in 2010–as a fullback.

Few players have the physical skills to make a position switch at the professional level, and even fewer have the mental fortitude to handle the frustrations.  Young showed that he was willing and capable of playing fullback at a high level last year, and enjoyed his first season as a starter in 2011.

Breaking the mold has been a theme in Young’s football career, starting at its very roots.  Young grew up in an Army household with 12 brothers and sisters.  When many of his siblings were envisioning their own careers in the military, Darrel was dedicating himself to a future in football. Read more »

Eight Redskins Named All-Division Team

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As the 2011 regular season draws to a close, we once again turn to ESPN NFC-East blogger Dan Graziano for a look at which Redskins are the best at their position in the division.

While I have lobbied for certain players throughout the season, I do defer to Graziano for a more global perspective on the division.  I don’t have to agree, but it’s not my list.

After reaching a high-water mark of eight Redskins on the bye week edition of this list, the Redskins have sunken to as low as five in some weeks, and six in most others.  However, through sustained effort and great individual performance, the Redskins have again risen to eight honorees on the final list of the season.

This was the most by any team in the NFC East, as the Cowboys had seven, the Giants had six, and the Eagles had six of the 27 honors.

These is the complete list of Redskins on the ESPN All-NFC East team: Read more »

Halftime Report From Philadelphia

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Redskins fullback Darrel Young spent four years of college only 17 miles from Lincoln Financial Field at Villanova University.  Villanova Stadium holds only 12,500 people, each of whom cheered on his defensive prowess

Today, in front of five time as many people, he’s silencing the Philadelphia crowd with his offensive ability, piling up 32 yards from a non-traditional playmaker position.  On top of that, he’s cleared the way for Evan Royster who continues his run of dominance as the Redskins tailback.

Averaging only 1.8 yards per carry in the first quarter, Royster has found his stride with 41 yards in the second quarter, including a 28-yard churn and burn scamper.  On that 28-yard run, he broke four tackles, something that Redskins running backs have struggled to do this season.  Forget the strategy of “one cut and go”– Royster cut four defenders nearly out of their shoes on one play.

At the half, Royster leads the team in both rushing and receiving yards.  Young is second and fourth, respectively.

One player that we should be celebrating in the first half is receiver Anthony Armstrong.  Armstrong has stretched the field deep today, but has been unable to sync up with quarterback Rex Grossman.  On two plays, Grossman was pressured and either checked down or forced the ball deep.  On the other play, he had time but it appeared that he waited half a beat too long, as the corner popped the ball in the air and the safety picked it off.

By trying the deep ball, the Redskins have opened up running plays and short passing routes underneath.  But the offense really needs these plays to work if they expect to keep pace in this game.

The Redskins passed up their best opportunity at points in the second quarter, when a field goal attempt from Graham Gano was blocked up the middle.  It’s been a frustrating year for blocked field goals, something that has been attributed in the past to the injuries and suspensions that the Redskins have weathered along the offensive line.  Whatever it is, it’s something that will need to be addressed in the offseason.

Receiver Jabar Gaffney had a solid first half, surpassing his career high in receptions with 67 this season.  His 25 yards put him within 56 yards of 1,000 on the season, for the first time in his career.  The Redskins need someone to step up big in the passing game in the second half.

After 30 minutes in The Linc, the Redskins still trail: Washington 0, Philadelphia 10.  Redskins will receive first in the second half.

First Quarter Impressions

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Prior to two weeks ago, Brian Orakpo was the team’s leader in sacks during his tenure with the team, having never registered a full sacked on a division quarterback.  Against the Giants, he brought Eli Manning down for the first of his career.  Against the Eagles, he took care of things early, “Orakpo-ing” Michael Vick on his first third down pressure.

Now that the divisional sack monkey is off his back, Orakpo looks to be flogging it.  Orakpo is also the first Redskins defender with eight or more sacks in three consecutive seasons since Dexter Manley achieved the feat between 1983-89.

The Redskins defense is getting good pressure on Vick today, which could prove to be effective.  Vick has been bothered by various contact related injuries this year, including broken ribs, and looks to prefer passing today.  I’m certain the Redskins will be spying him all afternoon, but it’s nice to know that he has a vested interest in being a passer first.

On offense, running back Evan Royster got the first crack today, continuing his success from last week.  The Redskins initially viewed Roy Helu as a change-of-pace back earlier this season, and the same dynamic could be in place today, with both backs healthy and active.  The Redskins have also continued to pitch the ball on almost all running plays, something that head coach Mike Shanahan attributed to their ability to get the ball, pick their hole, and get a full head of steam going through the line.

The running game hasn’t necessarily been effective in the first quarter, but this is an important facet of the game that the Redskins need to stick with.

With the 20-yard pass from quarterback Rex Grossman to fullback Darrel Young, Grossman passed 10,000 passing yards for his career.  For the Redskins, he passed for 3,779 yards in his first 16 games before today.

Punter Sav Rocca has been a model of consistency in his first season in Washington, but badly missed his first punt this afternoon, kicking it out of bounds for 12 yards.  The play essentially acted like a turnover, but the defense held on a short field, yielding only a field goal.

Rocca bounced back on his next two kicks, downing both inside the 20-yard line, tying a career-high for the season with 28.  Nice recovery from the Down Under Thunder.

At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles lead by a field goal: Washington 0, Philadelphia 3.

After the first quarter in the “2012 Social Showdown,” the Redskins fans have pulled it close, trailing by 40 fans.  #HTTR, #BeatPhilly

A Shift Back On ESPN’s All-Division Team

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In gauging division honors over the course of a 16-game season, it’s logical that the cream will rise to the top and the best of the best will be fairly set in stone.  But with the inconsistency of the entire NFC East this season, it’s been difficult to determine who is not only the best, but can perform most consistently.

In this week’s edition of Dan Graziano’s ESPN NFC East Blog’s “All-NFC East Team,” there are a new set of seven Redskins representing the best in the division at their position.  The honors are based on a body of work over the course of a season, with wry commentary to follow.

Enjoy: Read more »