The Redskins Blog

Kevin Durant Welcomes Back Chris Cooley

(Photo via @trey5 on Instagram)

Washington Redskins fans are ecstatic about the return of tight end Chris Cooley, who re-signed with the team Monday after starting tight end Fred Davis suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in last Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants.

Cooley, 30, is the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end, and has become one of the more popular players in Redskins history since joining the team as a third-round selection in the 2004 NFL Draft.

So it’s no surprise at all that Cooley’s jersey is one of the Redskins’ best sellers.

Well, one particularly famous Redskins fan put on his own Cooley jersey and went to his Instagram account to welcome Captain Chaos back to his favorite team.

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Santana Moss: ‘Skins ‘Hidden Treasure?’

He’s caught 488 passes for 6,726 yards and 37 touchdowns in his seven-year career with the Washington Redskins, but some believe veteran receiver Santana Moss could still slip under the radar and have a big year in 2012.

Moss, 33, came into the offseason program this year 15 pounds lighter and focused on getting past the 2011 season, which saw him produce his fewest number of receptions (46) and receiving yards (584) since arriving in Washington in 2005, the same season he was selected to the Pro Bowl after having 84 receptions for 1,483 yards and nine touchdowns.

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Santana Moss Visits ESPN’s “NFL 32″

Redskins’ veteran wide receiver Santana Moss Wednesday evening made an appearance on ESPN’s “NFL 32,” the network’s daily look at the ongoings of the National Football League’s 32 football teams.

Moss became the second Redskins player to make an appearance on the show in less than a week. Second year outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan called into the show May 31.

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Receivers Headline A Misleading NFL List

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The fine NFL mathematicians over at Pro Football Focus recently compiled a list of the best and worst receivers in the league, based on the rate of passes dropped in 2011.

Drops are one of the trickier stats in the NFL, because one man’s drop is another man’s incomplete pass.  Determining if a pass was ‘catchable’ is a judgment on the part of the stats crew, and is rarely a black and white discussion.

With that being said, the Redskins had one of each in their top two receivers catching honors: Jabar Gaffney, for his ridiculously good hands this season, and Santana Moss for being uncharacteristically shaky.

Here’s a look at the numbers, with a possible explanation for the failures. Read more »

Coach Open To All Options For Playmakers

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In a recent one-on-one interview of head coach Mike Shanahan by ESPN blogger Dan Graziano, he made it clear that he intends to search high and low for offensive playmakers this offseason.

The team finished the season ranked 16th in the NFL in offensive yards per game, but 26th in scoring.  Part of the drop off has to do with the player that lines up under center, and part of that has to do with who he’s throwing to.  Shanahan commented on both aspects of that relationship, with a cautionary warning.

Everyone wants a franchise, but there aren’t enough to go around:

“Not everybody understands that,” he said.

“Everybody wants a franchise quarterback,” Shanahan said. “Every team you talk to, if you don’t have a franchise quarterback, everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback. I understand…If they’re out there, you try and get one.”

Every great quarterback has a franchise wide receiver to throw to:

“We’ve got to get a wide receiver that’s a playmaker. You’ve got to have a No. 1, no question about it…You’re still looking for a guy that can go the distance and make plays, running on a short shallow cross and go the distance. Everybody’s looking for that.”

In that same conversation with Graziano, Shanahan noted that Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney were quality players, but with 11 and 10 years in the league, respectively, they aren’t part of the long-term solution.

Shanahan commented on budding receiver prospect Leonard Hankerson, who got injured at the end of his breakout game in Miami:

“I think he’s got a chance to be the guy. Health is what we don’t know…You can see in practice where he’s a natural. Big. The thing that separates guys at No. 1 is when they can beat bump coverage and they don’t have to slow down to beat it. They’re able to keep their speed and be able to get by somebody. He’s got that.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Shanahan also noted that he will again target players that are reaching free agency for the first time (in their mid to upper 20′s), rather than those in their early 30′s.  That strategy was employed last year with starters like Josh Wilson, Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield.

Check out the rest of Graziano’s exclusive for full Shanahan quotes.

Third Quarter Thoughts

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Following a long touchdown pass to Roy Helu–the first receiving score of his career–the Redskins were right back in the game.  However, if they want to stay in it for the fourth quarter, they have to eliminate the big 15-yard penalties that are consistently pushing them backward.  So far, they have three of them on the afternoon.

The first was a penalty on Santana Moss for taking his helmet off after a play. He was understandably frustrated, but that’s a long-standing rule–on the field, helmets stay on.

The second penalty was on Donte’ Stallworth on the Roy Helu touchdown catch and run.  It’s unclear what exactly was going on, but Stallworth took a knee in the end zone and was flagged for excessive celebration, going to the ground in the end zone.

The third penalty was for a hit on a defenseless receiver, on the defense.

You can say what you want about the legitimacy of the rules, the interpretation of said rules, and whether or not the Redskins players violated those rules.  I certainly have my own thoughts on all three facets.  But no amount of angst or debate on the topic will change the fact that the Redskins put themselves in a position to be flagged for three flagrant fouls in a game that they’re losing.

This is a game for pride alone, and this isn’t the type of focused football that’s going to win this afternoon.

On a very positive note, running back Evan Royster is over 100 yards from scrimmage again this week, piling up 73 on the ground and 37 through the air.  It’s hard to project how Royster and Helu will pan out to a 16-game season, but the experience that they’ve gained in their respective rookie campaigns have laid the groundwork for an informed, focused offseason.

Although the Redskins haven’t found their top guy in the passing game today, Grossman has spread the ball around, finding nine different receivers, including Brandon Banks for the time this season.  Receiver Jabar Gaffney was a non-factor in the third quarter and still needs 53 yards to reach 1,000 on the season.

After three quarters in Philadelphia, it’s still in reach for the Burgundy and Gold: Redskins 7, Eagles 13.

Grossman, Moss Provide ‘Little Smiles’

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Yesterday, as the team buses arrived at the hotel, one of the biggest and bravest Redskins fans was there to meet them.

Tyler Litts is a 7-year-old from Strousburg, Pa., and loves to watch the Burgundy and Gold every weekend with his dad.  His favorite Redskins are Santana Moss and Rex Grossman, because those are his dynamic duo on Nintendo DS.  He’s also a big Chris Neild fan, given that he goes to his same elementary school in Strousburg.

Tyler receives oncology treatment at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.  He and his family have been staying at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House during treatment, and he’s been looking forward to the Redskins-Eagles game in Philadelphia all year.

Through the Little Smiles program, in conjunction with the Redskins and the Eagles, Tyler got his wish to see the Redskins coming into the hotel, as he was visited by two Redskins in particular:

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Charitable Foundation Scholar Succeeding

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Last May, Yasmine Arrington, a senior at Benjamin Banneker High School, was in the middle of one of the last math tests that she would take in high school, when she was paged to the office.  Certain that she had heard the announcement wrong, and focused on the test, she tried to concentrate on the problem on the paper.

Then she was paged again.  And again.  So she stood up and walked down to the office.

When she arrived, she was greeted by an office official, who told her: “You’re in big trouble, Missy.”

“I was so scared,” she remembered, with a laugh.  ”I just wanted to graduate on time.”

She continued into the office to the Guidance Suite, where the counselors were all gathered around a desk.  Her principal handed her the phone, and on the other end of the line was Redskins owner, Daniel M. Snyder.

That “trouble” that she was told she was in was Snyder congratulating her for being the recipient of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation’s $25,000 scholarship. Read more »

Halftime Report From New York

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It’s just another wild day in the NFC East.

In the opening moments of the second quarter, Santana Moss hurdled another Redskins milestone, catching his 37th Redskins touchdown for his career, and 56th over.  He has now passed Ricky Sanders for sole possession of seventh place in Redskins history.

It’s only fitting that he does so in the city where his career started.

In the first 30 minutes of football, the Redskins have used five different ball carriers in the running game, using both active running backs, the fullback, and two wide receivers.

Anthony Armstrong’s 14-yard carry was a great combination of speed and vision, as a lesser man would have been tackled for a minimal gain.  His two rushes this season–the first of his career–have gone for 19 yards.

Darrel Young’s six-yard burst to paydirt was the first rushing touchdown of his career.  The Amityville, N.Y.-native was greeted in the north end zone by a chorus of 80,000 boo birds and appropriately inappropriate hand gestures, as he just nodded his head and smiled.

That 17-0 lead matched the Redskins’ largest lead of the season, dating back to Week 4 against the St. Louis Rams.  There’s a lot of football left, but as I said before the game, the Redskins don’t have the look of a sacrificial lamb today.  On the other hand, some members of the Giants’ 99 percent victorious team seem to have visions of January dancing in their heads.

On defense, the whole unit gets a pat on the back at halftime, but special consideration goes to free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who snagged his second interception of the year on a tipped ball by London Fletcher in coverage.  This is the first takeaway for the ball-hawker since the Philadelphia game in Week 6, the 24th interception for his career.

Atogwe has certainly had a frustrating year with injuries, but has shown up in a big way this afternoon.\

Given the Redskins’ struggles in the second half, save the sigh of relief for the final gun.  But there’s no question that this first half of football set the tone for the Redskins afternoon.

Redskins up at the half: Washington 17, New York 3.

Reviewing Predictions, Strange Bedfellows

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After Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul blocked Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey’s game-winner in Dallas last week, it was perceived that the Giants were on a roll, even though it was only their second win in the last five weeks.

Meanwhile, the Redskins–who have played probably their best three-game stretch of the season, despite going 1-2–have been largely overlooked.  Going wire-to-wire with the Patriots was forgotten when New England held on for the win.

I’m not in the business of looking for a slight where there isn’t one, but only one brave NFL analyst is putting his name behind the Burgundy and Gold: ESPN’s Eric Allen.

In other ESPN news, the Madden ’12 simulation of today’s game calls for a comeback that comes up just short, falling 17-20. After back-to-back close losses, clearly the Redskins need to win today if they expect to earn respect.

Speaking of a Washington win, Redskins Nation will have followers in Big D today, as the Cowboys stand to benefit from a Giants loss.  Although many of the Redskins veterans are disappointed not to be looking at the playoffs themselves this week, Santana Moss and Jammal Brown talked about relishing the opportunity to play spoiler down the stretch.

Even though it may be awkward and entirely unnatural to be helping the Cowboys, it’s a satisfying consolation to make their fans cheer for the Redskins today.

Curious what the players are thinking about before they run on the field?  Pretty much the same things they’ve been thinking about all season.

We have a calendar check:

Game Day!!!—
Perry Riley (@PR56) December 18, 2011

We have a weather update from the Miami, Fla. native:

Good morning my people! It looks beautiful looking outside my window. But I know it's cold out there lol! Oh well, it's game day!!! #HTTR—
Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) December 18, 2011

We have some enthusiasm from a sugared-up returner:

What time is it??? GAMETIME!!!!!!!!!—
Brandon Banks (@speedybanks16) December 18, 2011

And we have some excitement from a man who truly appreciates his given opportunity:

Thank U Lord 4 Anotha1… Allowing me 2 continue 2 dream. #Blessings on yall day…. Its Gaaaaaaaameday #GoRedskins!!!—
Dominique Byrd (@TheRealDByrd) December 18, 2011

More from warmups to follow…