The Redskins Blog

Local Rapper Welcomes FSU Draftees

(AP Photo)

Tallahassee, Florida is the capital of the Sunshine State, the center of agricultural work in the panhandle, and now can also claim to have produced two Redskins draft picks in the same round.

Hailing from Florida State University, Chris Thompson and Brandon Jenkins were selected within eight picks of each other in the fifth round on Saturday.

While it isn’t a rarity for college teammates to find themselves making the journey together from their college dorm rooms to an NFL locker room (think DeJon Gomes, Roy Helu Jr., and Niles Paul from Nebraska for example), the Burgundy and Gold had never taken FSU teammates together in a single draft let alone in the same round.

As the two prepare to make the almost 900 mile trek from Florida’s capital to the Nation’s Capital, one man who calls both areas home extended a welcoming hand to the newest Washington Redskins:

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Can 2011 Draft Pick Be Breakout Star?

This time last year, the Washington Redskins were preparing to select Heisman-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Even with Griffin III in the fold, few were picking the Burgundy and Gold to climb out of the cellar of the NFC East, especially with a defending Super Bowl Champion on the schedule for two different tilts.

Well we all know that the Redskins ended up being the breakout team of the 2012 NFL season, storming into the playoffs by the way of a miraculous seven-game winning streak to end the season and besting their division rivals with a 5-1 record against the NFC East.

With OTAs officially underway at Redskins Park, find out who ESPN’s Matt Williamson believes will be the breakout player for the 2013 campaign including a video of his best play of the 2012 season here:

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Morris, Lichtensteiger Make ‘All-Joe Team’

(AP Photo)

The 21st All-Joe Team was recently announced by USA Today and Redskins running back Alfred Morris and guard Kory Lichtensteiger were selected.

The All-Joe Team was originally comprised by USA Today Sports writer Larry Weisman in honor of Kansas City defensive lineman Joe Phillips after he helped teammates Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith combined to take down quarterbacks 29 times during the 1992 season.

While Thomas and Smith received the brunt of attention, Phillips was instrumental in paving the way to get his teammates to the ball.

The team is an annual presentation of some of the hardest working players in the league. Often, these players are deemed “over-achievers” and rarely get the same level of media attention that some of the top superstars in the league receive. The only parameter of inclusion to the All-Joe Team is that the player has yet to be selected to the Pro Bowl.

However, many All-Joe Team selections go on to be selected to the annual contest in the Rainbow State. Prime example: 2011 All-Joe and 2012 Pro Bowl special teamer Lorenzo Alexander.

Find out why Morris and Lichtensteiger were deserving of the honor here:

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Who Will Lead The Redskins In Rushing?

(AP photos)

A recent @Redskins Twitter poll turned up some interesting results about who Redskins fans feel will lead the team in rushing for the 2012 season.

The interesting aspect is that one of the candidates is a quarterback — rookie Robert Griffin III. Though many have expressed concern about Griffin III getting too many carries per game and risking injury, there’s no denying that he’s very dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Here’s the results of that poll, which got more than 450 votes this past weekend prior to the Redskins’ Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals:

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YOU PICK: Who Will Lead In Rushing?

A solid rushing attack is one of the most dangerous aspects of any offense in the National Football League.

This especially rings true this season for the Washington Redskins, who have a talented rookie quarterback that has been able to utilize the running game through their first two games to open up the passing game down the field.

In those two games, the Redskins have combined to rush for 329 yards and four touchdowns — two each from quarterback Robert Griffin III and running back Alfred Morris.

Griffin III and Morris are half of a four-headed rushing monster that the Redskins could unleash at any time this season. Second-year running backs Roy Helu Jr. and Evan Royster are also very capable of picking up huge chunks of yardage on the ground at any point in the game.

That being said, it’s time to break out the crystal ball and predict the following:

Who do YOU think will lead the Redskins in rushing this season?

Here’s how you get involved:

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YOU PICK: Who Starts at RB Today?

(AP photos)

Good morning, Redskins fans! I think we can all agree that we’ve been waiting to say this for a long, long time now: it’s finally Opening Day, 2012.

The Redskins open up the 2012 slate on the road today as they face off against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Louisiana. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET; noon CT.

There’s lots of sure-bets when looking at today’s game from the Redskins side of things. First off, a rookie — Robert Griffin III — is going to start at quarterback. Secondly, the defensive front seven is back from last season and is looking to lead the team to new heights this year.

But what seems to be on the minds of several people the last couple weeks is: who’s going to start at running back for the Redskins? Will it be one of the second-year guys like Evan Royster or Roy Helu Jr.? Or will the rookie, Alfred Morris, get the starting nod?

Luckily for you, the Redskins Blog is allowing you to step into head coach Mike Shanahan’s shoes this morning and pick which running back you’d start today against the Saints:

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Running Back Situation Up In The Air

(AP photo)

In 1995, the decision to feature just one running back the entire season was pretty much made up for then-Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan.

That’s because a 23-year-old sixth-round draft pick named Terrell Davis quickly showed the Broncos — and the rest of the National Football League — that he had the skills to be the best rusher in the NFL.

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Griffin III: Premier RB Will Emerge

(AP photo)

The Washington Redskins enter the 2012 season with three running backs that showed flashes of excellence at various points in 2011.

But will the Redskins’ offense be more proficient with a running back-by-committee system, or with one premier back handling most of the rushing duties?

Quarterback Robert Griffin III prefers the latter.

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Video: QBs, Running Backs Work Together

The quarterback-running back relationship has already begun to take shape as the Washington Redskins’ organized team activities head into their third and final week.

With the expected three-headed monster of Tim Hightower, Roy Helu Jr. and Evan Royster in the Redskins’ backfield in 2012, the team can boast three backs — each with their own standout attributes — that can challenge the defense.

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Redskins’ Summer Camps Approaching

(www.procamps.com/chriscooley)

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a professional football player is the ability to go into a community and touch the lives of area children.

At least four current Redskins players will have that opportunity here in the coming weeks through their personal youth camps.

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