Welcome to your weekly Redskins Social Media Spotlight, where we highlight the trendy topics and social media campaigns going on this week in Redskins Nation. Check it out and make suggestions below.

As we continue to bring you updates each week to let you know how Redskins players are spending their offseason, we’re happy to inform fans that players are beginning to slowly trickle back in to Redskins Park after a few months away following the season. Believe it or not, the draft is a little more than a month away which means that OTAs and Redskins football is just around the corner.

In the meantime, we’re here to at least try and keep you engaged until that time comes.

You can check out last week’s Social Media Spotlight which debated the hot topic of whether it’s acceptable for men to wear yoga pants at the gym (still undecided) as well as recapped LB Ryan Kerrigan and K Kai Forbath’s golf outing, QB Robert Griffin III and Baylor’s upset over #4 Kansas, and LB London Fletcher announcing, via Twitter, his plans to return.

This week, we’ll catch a glimpse of WR Dezmon Briscoe working out and working hard, including what Griffin III thinks about the wide receiver’s workout. We’ll also take a look at DE Jarvis Jenkins’s inspirational quote, Kai Forbath’s comments on the return of LS Nick Sundberg and P Sav Rocca, and, last but not least, we’ll bring you WR Pierre Garçon’s take on March Madness.

Plus, does anyone remember the movie Space Jam? We sure do and so does G Chris Chester. We’ll let Chris give his thoughts on Bill Murray’s role in the film and more. Welcome to this week’s Redskins Social Media Weekly Spotlight!

Every now and then we all need that extra kick, the extra motivation to get up out of bed in the morning and tackle whatever the day may bring. Like the movie Office Space we all get a case of the Monday’s from time to time. If that statement rings true for you, Jarvis Jenkins provides the wherewithal to fight the “I really don’t feel like going to work today” feeling.

"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't."– who up grinding?? #HTTR—
jarvis jenkins (@Jarvis99jenkins) March 14, 2013

Keep grinding, Jarvis, and HTTR!

Following his inaugural season in Washington, Kai Forbath was one-third of a special teams crew consisting of P Sav Rocca and LS Nick Sundberg whom could bank on the fact he would be returning. So he was ecstatic to hear about the return of both Rocca and Sundberg! #ThreeManWreckingCrew

Hearing about Nick and Sav resigning just got me even more pumped for next season! Our special teams crew is back! #HTTR—
Kai Forbath (@KaiForbath) March 12, 2013

Next up: Griffin III likes seeing his receivers working hard. In fact, he liked seeing Briscoe’s Twitter status enough that he deemed it worthy of a RT.

“@DezBriscoe89: Lets get better today! 🏈🏈 http://t.co/czxAegtMqF” Oh snap!!!! It's about to go down!—
Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 16, 2013

Keep up the good work, Dezmon!

It’s fair to say that we all remember the high school or college days where we’d keep an eye on the March Madness Basketball Tournament in class, and so does Pierre.

I remember in HS we would watch the March Madness games in class. #ImGettingOld—
Pierre Garçon (@PierreGarcon) March 14, 2013

You’re not alone, Pierre! Now we just do it at work. #NeverTooOld

Did you know that Chris Chester was a Bill Murray fan? Neither did we, but needless to say we can all appreciate the movie Space Jam.

Bill Murray's performance in Space Jam way underrated.—
Chris Chester (@chesterchris66) March 15, 2013

In dedication to Chris Chester, here’s a short clip of Bill Murray getting ready to take on the aliens of Moron Mountain. Enjoy!

Redskins Birthday’s this week: NT Barry Cofield (Tuesday, March 19^th) and G/C Kory Lichtensteiger (Friday, March 22^nd).

What’s on tap this week in social media?

In the spirit of March Madness, we have created a one-stop shop for YOU to participate with us and join the Redskins Bracket Madness by competing against your favorite Redskins players.

Over the course of the next three-plus weeks you can go to www.redskins.com/brackets to battle the pros for chances to win jerseys autographed by QB Robert Griffin III and more. Yes, plural chances, multiple opportunities to grab the spotlight and claim bragging rights as our inaugural winner…until we do it again next year!

So be sure to continue to follow the Redskins on social for all of the breaking news and announcements you need to know! Also, be sure to check out Redskins.com and Redskins Blog as we’ll bring you the latest news in free agency.

Here’s how you can stay current with all Redskins news, notes and updates:

- Facebook – www.facebook.com/redskins

- Twitter – www.twitter.com/redskins

- Google+ – www.google.com/+washingtonredskins

- Foursquare – www.foursquare.com/redskins

- Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/redskinsdotcom

- Instagram – http://instagram.com/redskins

- reddit – http://www.reddit.com/user/redskinsdotcom

- Redskins YouTube Channel

- Download the Official Redskins Mobile App

(.GIF courtesy of SB Nation)

You probably remember midway through the fourth quarter of last night’s game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys when Redskins punter Sav Rocca was called for a facemask penalty after bringing down Cowboys punt returner Dwayne Harris.

Now, thanks to the .GIF above, this play can live in the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry lore.

Rocca sheds the block of free safety Sterling Moore and promptly grabs Harris by the facemask with his right hand and, with his left hand, grabs the returner’s long hair at the Washington 31-yard line.

OK, so the tackle wasn’t completely legal within the NFL rules. But after tight end Niles Paul whiffed while attempting to take Harris down, Rocca was the last line of defense between the returner and the end zone in a critical NFC East championship game.

Rocca, as you probably already knew, is a former Australian Football League legend, so tackling isn’t anything new to him. He’s also a certified masseur.

Let’s just say Harris might need a massage after that hit.

(AP photo)

A season-best nine Washington Redskins players today were named to ESPN.com NFC East blogger Dan Graziano’s final All-NFC East Team. Additionally, Graziano named rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III the NFC East’s Most Valuable Player.

The Redskins’ nine selections tied the Dallas Cowboys for the most 2012 All-NFC East team selections. Following the division leaders were the New York Giants (six selections) and the Philadelphia Eagles (three).

Like it was in the NFL’s Pro Bowl voting, Washington (9-6) was well-represented in all three aspects — offense, defense and special teams — in the 2012 All-NFC East Team. The Redskins had five selections on offense, three on defense and one on special teams.

Here’s the entire list of Redskins representatives on the final All-NFC East Team:

- Quarterback: Griffin III
- Running back: Alfred Morris
- Fullback: Darrel Young
- Left tackle: Trent Williams
- Center: Will Montgomery
- Defensive tackle: Barry Cofield
- Middle linebacker: Perry Riley
- Cornerback: Josh Wilson
- Punter: Sav Rocca

- Griffin III has been the All-NFC East team’s quarterback for most of the season. The 2013 Pro Bowl selection split time early with Giants quarterback Eli Manning and recently had to fight off a strong finish by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, but has obviously been the biggest difference maker — and simply the most valuable player — for his team this season.

- Morris was a slam-dunk pick, as well. He’s fourth in the NFL in rushing, has already turned in the best rookie rushing season in Redskins history and, with 104 yards against the Cowboys on Sunday, would break Clinton Portis’ single-season team record for rushing yards. Morris was on the All-NFC East Team weekly throughout the season.

- Well, well, well. Darrel Young finally makes an appearance — and when it counts. We’ve been pushing for Young to make the list over Giants fullback Henry Hynoski for weeks, and it seems our whining paid off. Here’s what Graziano wrote about putting Young on the team for good:

“Darrel Young and the Giants’ Henry Hynoski are both excellent and worthy. Hynoski, for me, has been the slightly better blocker, but the Giants’ recent struggles have hurt his case and Young, who actually touches the ball every now and then, takes the spot away from him.”

- Williams — also a 2013 Pro Bowl selection — has been one of the best tackles in the entire NFL this season, as he’s done a great job protecting Griffin III’s blind side and helping anchor the NFL’s best rushing attack. Like Griffin III and Morris, Williams been a mainstay on the All-NFC East Team throughout the year.

- Montgomery has also been one of the top centers in the league all season, though he doesn’t get nearly the amount of national credit that he should. Pro Bowl voters put Green Bay Packers center Jeff Saturday on the team ahead of Montgomery — and Saturday last week was benched for the rest of the season.

- Cofield became a mainstay in the All-NFC East Team just a few weeks ago, but has played consistently enough to be considered the best nose tackle in the division. Case in point: his tackle on Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin last Sunday when Philadelphia ran what could’ve been a very successful wide receiver screen play. You tell me who else could’ve made that play.

- Riley also took over his spot on the All-NFC East team a few weeks ago. His selection shows how important veteran linebacker London Fletcher’s guidance has been for Riley, who has been solid both as a tackler and in pass coverage this season. At this rate, Riley will also have trips to Hawaii to plan for in future seasons.

- Graizano has flip-flopped Wilson on his All-NFC East Team the entire season, but he remains for the final list. The Redskins have no doubt had their struggles in pass coverage this season, but have improved greatly after their Bye Week and have won six consecutive games since. Wilson has been a big part of that, and has been a major playmaker for Washington, as he has 68 tackles, a sack, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

- Rocca this season is turning in the best year of his career, averaging 44.1 yards per punt. He is also kicking for a punt return coverage unit that ranks fifth in the NFL in yards allowed, which is huge in the field-position game.

CHIME IN: What do YOU think of Graizano’s final 2012 All-NFC East Team? Feel free to comment below.

Photos from the ‘Covered For The Holidays’ coat giveaway today at Macy’s Metro Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Participating Redskins players included Fred Davis, Doug Worthington, Joshua Morgan, Alfred Morris, Logan Paulsen and Sav Rocca.

(AP photo)

Of all the guys currently on the Washington Redskins’ roster, punter Sav Rocca would probably enjoy a trip home during the Bye Week the most.

But he can’t, you see. Rocca’s got two strikes against him: first, he must stick around the team’s Ashburn, Va., headquarters to receive treatment for an injured knee; secondly, round trip, Rocca’s trip home would exceed 20,000 miles.

And that’s without connecting flights and layovers.

Rocca, a Reservoir, Australia, native, said the interesting part of his Bye Week won’t include a trip home down under.

“Well, it depends on if you call coming in here for treatment every day interesting,” Rocca said yesterday.

Rocca is continuing to battle the effects of a torn meniscus in his kicking leg, but decided to play through the pain after suffering the injury a couple weeks ago.

Interestingly, Rocca had one of the best performances of the season last Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, punting three times with a 45.7-yards-per-punt average.

“It’s getting there,” Rocca said of his knee. “I’d like to think it’ll get much better from here. I think it’s a maintenance thing from here; I think there’s always going to be a little bit of pain, but we’ll be able to manage it, I think.”

So though a majority of Rocca’s Bye Week will be spent on a training table in Virginia, he’ll have his next trip home to plan in his head.

It just doesn’t work out this time around.

“I don’t have enough time to go back to Australia at the moment,” he said. “It’s too far. I lose two days just getting there.”

(AP photo)

The folks at Maxim certainly know how to draw eyes to their magazines.

But if you look beyond the photos of scantily clad women (which, admittedly, is hard to do), there is actually some text that formulates words and sentences within Maxim’s pages — and it’s pretty good.

The magazine’s September 2012 edition features its “NFL Biggest Bad@$$es” list, and two Redskins populate the 20-man list.

And don’t worry Redskins fans — you made the list, too.

Inside linebacker London Fletcher (ranked No. 11) and punter Sav Rocca (No. 20) are considered by Maxim as among “the twenty toughest, meanest, most fearless mofos on the field.”

The Redskins’ Hogettes, meanwhile, were ranked the “NFL’s Most Bad@$$ Fans.”

Here’s what the magazine had to say about Fletcher:

“A 5’10″ inside linebacker is impressive enough, but a 5’10″ inside linebacker who’s basically indestructible? That’s Mr. Fletcher, the man who once called himself “the Susan Lucci of the NFL” for his lack of trips to the Pro Bowl — until last year, that is, when the 37-year-old led the league in tackles. By the numbers: 224, consecutive games played.”

And the blip about Rocca:

“Why the hell is a punter on a list of the NFL’s biggest bad@$$es? Because said punter is the oldest rookie in NFL history, stands 6’5″, weighs 265, and was a star Australian rules football player. No helmet, no problem! By the numbers: 33, Rocca’s age as a rookie, the oldest ever.”

Maxim ranked Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis No. 1 on this particular list.

Joining Fletcher and Rocca from the NFC East is New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who ranked No. 13.

Question: Did the folks at Maxim get it right? Who would you rank as the biggest and baddest Redskin? Feel free to comment below.

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:

Fullback: Darrel Young, Redskins. Dallas’ Tony Fiammetta got the press, but Young was a consistent mauler all season.

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins. Kept playing well as the rest of the line crumbled around him.

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Brian Orakpo, Redskins. Ware among the sack leaders again. Orakpo and rookie Ryan Kerrigan should be a force in Washington for years to come.

Inside linebacker: London Fletcher, Redskins; Sean Lee, Cowboys. An old war horse who’s still the best at what he does, and a youngster who’s burst onto the scene.

Safety: Kenny Phillips, Giants; O.J. Atogwe, Redskins. Injuries limited Atogwe, but he played well enough when in there to earn the spot over the Cowboys’ disappointing guys. Phillips has emerged as one of the best in the game.

Punter: Sav Rocca, Redskins. Real tough call here between him and the Giants’ Steve Weatherford. Rocca had just one touchback all year. That’s precision.

Kick returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins. Not one guy in this division ran a kick back for a touchdown all year.

Punt returner: Brandon Banks, Redskins. Not one guy in this division ran a punt back for a touchdown all year.

Darrel Young came into training camp as the dark horse for the starting fullback position behind incumbent Mike Sellers.  Young took the position and ran with it, proving to be an upgrade at the position and a playmaker in an offense in need.  When healthy, Young is the best that this division has to offer, and he closed out the season on a strong note.

Will Montgomery supplanted Giants’ center David Baas early in the season and produced admirably against bigger, taller, stronger nose tackles throughout the season.  He was one of two Redskins linemen that started every game this season between center and guard, and he didn’t botch a single snap all season.  This was a great effort from Montgomery, who has flourished in the Shanahan offensive system.

London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo were the leaders of a productive linebacker corps this year, and both took big steps forward in their second years in the system.  Fletcher led the league in tackles by a wide margin, and Orakpo registered at least eight sacks for the third year in a row, something that hasn’t been done since Dexter Manley.  A superb effort from both of these men, as both were worthy of Pro Bowl recognition.

Oshiomogho Atogwe was brought to Washington early last offseason as a free agent, and was intended to be paired with LaRon Landry at safety.  Together, the pair suffered through multiple injuries this season, but Atogwe still found a way to produce.  With three interceptions, it could technically be considered a down year for the ball-hawking safety, but with multiple years left on his contract, Redskins fans can hope that he’s just scratching the surface in Washington.

Sav Rocca went kick for kick with fellow punter Steve Weatherford this year, and edged out the Giant at the very end.  Along with putting up franchise numbers in average, he also had one touchback in 66 attempts, a feat that was only matched by one other punter in the NFL.  He also downed nearly half of his punts inside the 20 (28), tying his career-high and good for eighth in the NFL.

Brandon Banks considers a successful return to be one that ends in the opposing end zone, something that he was unable to accomplish this season.  No returner in the NFC East was able to accomplish that, due in part to the change in kickoff rules, and partially due to penalties on his longest returns.  Despite that, Banks led the NFL in return yards with 1,502 and was more than deserving of the top spot in the East.

AP Image

Shortly before Christmas, I had the opportunity to talk football with Australian Broadcasting Corporation correspondent Craig McMurtrie and his cameraman Louie Eroglu at Redskins Park.

It turned out that not only has Redskins punter Sav Rocca been a punting stud in Washington this season, but he’s also turned heads 10,000 miles away in his native Australia.  The reason why the American correspondents were uncharacteristically focused on sports that day, was to cover Rocca for the a national radio and television piece in Australia.

Here’s the radio clip, read in an authentic Australian accent:

I’d say that the funniest part of the clip is when the correspondents interview kicker Graham Gano and long snapper Nick Sundberg, that players who have worked most closely with Rocca over the past five months.

Gano remarks that Rocca occasionally says “fair dinkum,” which is Australian for ‘genuine,’ ‘truthful,’ or ‘the real deal.’  He also notes that they poke fun of Rocca’s senior age:

Oh man, he’s real old. Me and Nick the snapper we always crack on him for being an older guy but yeah, he’s still out there playing like he’s in his 20s and he does a good job.

Sundberg shared that Rocca occasionally calls him “a sheila,” which is a generic Australian term for a female.  I’m sure he means that in only the most polite and respectful ways, but Sundberg said he gets a kick out of it anyway.

Perhaps the biggest gem of the whole interview, however, is to hear that in 20 professional seasons of football, Rocca has never won a championship in any football league, nor won a playoff game:

Big Sav says the competition to hold a roster place in the NFL is fierce. But he’s prepared for the long hours of training because of the one goal that still eludes him.

SAV ROCCA: I played 15 years of Australian football, played in three play-off games and lost them all. So, I want to win a championship by the time I’m done.

With another year left on his contract in Washington, Rocca certainly hopes that winning one will happen here.

AP Image

Before beginning any coverage of today’s locker room cleaning, I would be remiss not to look back on yesterday’s Eagles game.  Please appreciate that I finally found a rear-view mirror photo of the stadium for this weekly blog post.

Yesterday was supposed to be a feel-good game, sending the team into the offseason on a high note.  It would have been a redemption game over a division opponent that had beaten the Redskins two straight times, including earlier this season.  It would have been a showcase of young talent, and potentially a claim-staking performance for offseason free agents.

A young, depleted Redskins team played with a lot of heart yesterday, but just didn’t get the ‘W.’  On Monday morning, it hurts.  But in a week or more, it will be nothing more than one-of-11 losses this season.

The important thing is the exposure and maturation of the individual players, which will hopefully translate to wins in 2012.

Here are the Redskins superlatives for outstanding play in the season finale against the Eagles:

Defensive performer: Brian Orakpo

Outside linebacker Brian Orakpo had a first-quarter sack of Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. The sack was Orakpo’s eighth of the season and his first full sack against Philadelphia in his career.  He added another sack in the second quarter, forcing the fifth fumble of his career and his third of the season. Linebacker Perry Riley recovered the fumble, his second recovery of the season and of his career.

Orakpo became the first member of the Redskins to record at least nine sacks in three consecutive seasons since Dexter Manley accomplished the feat across four consecutive seasons from 1983-86.

Iron Men: London Fletcher, Ryan Kerrigan

Linebacker London Fletcher played in his 224th consecutive game, which is tied with Tampa Bay’s Ronde Barber for most among active non-specialists. It was also his 179th consecutive start, the most by any active linebacker.

Fletcher’s 224th consecutive game played tied him for second-most among defensive players since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Fletcher and Barber are now tied with former LB Derrick Brooks and former DE Kevin Carter and trail only former LB Bill Romanowski (243 consecutive games played).

Fletcher was credited with four tackles. He finished the season with 166 tackles according to NFL GSIS, the highest total of his career. His previous high according to NFL GSIS was 157, set in 2005 as a member of the Buffalo Bills.

Fellow linebacker Ryan Kerrigan successfully finished his rookie campaign, having played every snap of every game all season long.  This pales in comparison to Fletcher’s ability to get up every week over the course of a career, but it shows incredible athleticism and preparation for the freshman.

Thunder and Lightning: Evan Royster and Roy Helu 

Running back Evan Royster posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, rushing 20 times for 113 yards.  Royster and Helu became the first Redskins running back tandem since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to each post consecutive 100-yard rushing games during a single season.

Royster had a 28-yard run in the second quarter, tying his career long from a week ago.  Helu caught a 47-yard touchdown in the third quarter, the first touchdown reception of his career.  The 47-yard reception is the Redskins’ longest by a running back since Dec. 21, 2009, when Rock Cartwight caught a 51-yard pass against the New York Giants.  The reception is also the longest by a rookie running back this season and the longest by a rookie running back in team history.

It’s strange to consider that neither back got an opportunity to perform as a starter until the second half of the season.  After watching what these two can do with minimal offseason preparation, it should be exciting to see what they can do as a tandem going into next year.

Punting Revelation: Sav Rocca

Who else?  Punter Sav Rocca placed two punts inside the 20-yard line, giving him 28 for the season and tying his career high, set last season.  Rocca’s 28 punts downed inside the 20 are the fifth-most in a season in Redskins history and are the most since Tom Tupa had 30 punts downed inside the 20 during the 2004 season.  Rocca finished the season with a 39.0-yard net punting average, which trails only Matt Turk’s 1996 and 1997 campaigns (39.2 yards) for the best in team history.

AP Image

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