WR Davone Bess- Miami

Percent owned (ESPN): 32.7%

A weekly fixture on this list, for some reason he’s just not getting the love. His 44 receptions rank 15^th in the NFL so he’s a PPR beast. He also has 451 yards and 3 scores.

WR Nate Burleson- Detroit

Percent owned (ESPN): 26.7%

Since Stafford has returned, Burleson has 14 catches for 160 yards and a score, doing exactly what he was brought to Detroit to do, give Stafford another option opposite Megatron.

TE Brandon Pettigrew- Detroit

Percent owned (ESPN): 25.3%

No idea why he’s still fairly scarcely owned, Pettigrew has 38 catches for 362 yards and 3 scores this season and has caught touchdowns in both games since Matt Stafford has returned.

 

WR James Jones- Green Bay

Percent owned (ESPN): 3.9%

In Donald Driver’s absence, Jones exploded for 123 yards and a score on 8 catches. Driver could miss a few more weeks with a thigh injury that held him without a reception weeks 7-8 and had him on crutches and out for week 9.

TE Tony Moeaki- Kansas City

Percent owned (ESPN): 30.4%

Dropped pretty significantly last week for whatever reason and responded with a season and career high 63 yards on 6 catches. He has 3+ catches in every game except one this season and 30 catches for 344 yards and 2 scores overall. He’s a TE1 in deeper leagues.

WR Blair White- Indianapolis

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.6%

Anthony Gonzalez is out for the season and Austin Collie will be out at least a week, probably more, after a scary concussion against Philly. That leaves White as the Colts’ slot receiver, which makes him fantasy relevant, even as just a bench player until he breaks out. The Blair White Project caught 3 balls for 42 yards after Collie went down week 9.

WR Mohamed Massaquoi (Cleveland)

Percent owned (ESPN): 9.2%

A favorite sleeper of many in the preseason, including me, Massaquoi finally appears healthy and his quarterback is finally playing well. He caught 4 balls for 58 yards against the Patriots this week.

 

Last week overall: 10-3

Last week ATS: 6-6-1 (+590/+16%)

Overall picks: 83-47 (.638)

ATS Picks: 66-59-5 (+$1270)

Lock picks: 6-3

Upset picks: 13-16

Sports Betting FAQ 

Atlanta Falcons 31 Baltimore Ravens 20

Spread: -1 Atlanta

Pick against spread: Atlanta 4 units

I love the Falcons in this spot, to win at home against an even spread. Not only has Matt Ryan only lost one regular season home game in his career, this game is a Thursday Night home game. He’ll not only feed off the energy of the home crowd, but off the energy of a national televised game. The Ravens, meanwhile, have to travel on a short week. I did some research and home teams are 23-10 on Thursday Night Football since 2006. Even more impressive, only two of those losses were by teams with winning records at the time, the 2007 Lions and the 2006 Seahawks. The 2007 Lions were in the midst of a 3 game losing streak at the time. I love Matt Ryan and the Falcons to win at home as a team with a winning record on Thursday Night Football.

New England Patriots 26 Pittsburgh Steelers 19 Upset Pick

Spread: -4.5 Pittsburgh

Pick against spread: New England 5 units

Tom Brady getting points is good. Tom Brady getting 4.5 points is better. Tom Brady getting 4.5 points coming off of a loss is amazing. Brady has lost back-to-back regular season games once since 2003. Tom Brady in his career off of a loss is 21-11 ATS and 14-7 ATS as an underdog. The Pats are 12-1 straight up of off a 10 point loss in the Brady/Belicheck era with that one loss by 1 point. I would pick the Pats to win outright here. However, the 4.5 points are even better. The Steelers have a history of letting teams come back in the 4^th quarter in recent games so I think the Patriots, at worst, could get a back door cover, but I have them winning. The Steelers are banged up right now and the Pats are pissed off.

Detroit Lions 31 Buffalo Bills 21 Upset Pick

Spread: -2.5 Buffalo

Pick against spread: Detroit 4 units

This is an interesting game. The Bills are 0-8, but favored by 3 because it appears Lions 3^rd string quarterback Drew Stanton will start with Matt Stafford out with another shoulder injury and Shaun Hill doubtful again with a broken arm. Drew Stanton is a terrible quarterback. Stanton is 55 for 104 for 611 yards, 2 scores, and 7 picks in his career. However, he was 19 for 34 for 222 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick against the Giants in relief of Hill week 6 and the Giants have a great defense. That’s obviously some sort of hope. The Lions have a great offensive supporting cast. Shaun Hill is by no means a good starting quarterback, but this team averaged 26.4 points per game in 5 starts by Hill. I think they can put up some points here and win against the 0-8 Bills and even if they don’t, I have 3 points breathing room. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable laying points with a winless team against a team with a positive point differential.

Update: Shaun Hill will start instead of Drew Stanton, yet the line remains at Bills -2.5. As I mentioned before, the Lions averaged 26.4 points per with Hill in the lineup and the Bills are terribly defensively so he should exceed that in a fairly high scoring affair all around.

Minnesota Vikings 26 Chicago Bears 16

Spread: -1 Minnesota

Pick against spread: Minnesota 3 units

This is one of many even spreads this week so I essentially just have to pick a winner. I’m going with the Vikings here. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards finally came to life last week against Arizona and I think they can continue that against Chicago and their terrible pass protection this week. Jay Cutler simply can’t win when he’s heavily pressured. He’s not the type of quarterback who can succeed in this type of offense and I wouldn’t be surprised if he were traded back to Mike Shanahan this offseason to become Donovan McNabb’s successor in Washington. Brett Favre has quietly been playing very well recently. I’m not surprised. He’s at his best in the face of adversity and he’s had more adversity in recent weeks than at any point in his career, in my opinion. In his past 4, he’s 88 for 127 for 1055 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 6 picks. Obviously the picks are a problem, but that’s to be expected with Favre. I think he can lead successful drives even against Chicago’s #1 ranked pass defense this week and beat a Chicago offense that isn’t going to be scoring a lot of points this week.

New York Jets 23 Cleveland Browns 17

Spread: -3 Jets

Pick against spread: Jets 1 unit

In the past 4 weeks, the Jets have needed a PI call to beat Denver, had a bye, got shut out at home by the Packers, and needed a missed extra point and overtime to beat the Lions. They may be 6-2, but they’re certainly not playing like 6-2. In the Browns last 3 weeks, they beat New England and New Orleans. They’ve only played one game against a sub .500 team this season and they won it. They hung within a touchdown of Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Baltimore. They may be 3-5, but they’re certainly not playing like 3-5. The problem, Vegas notices this and they made the spread a mere 3 points. I still think the Jets are the more talented team and I don’t like picking Colt McCoy to beat a great Jets defense, but I’m not all that confident in Mark Sanchez and the Jets either.

 

Indianapolis Colts 31 Cincinnati Bengals 17

Spread: -7 Indianapolis

Pick against spread: Indianapolis 2 units

The Bengals were essentially eliminated last week, falling 4 games out of the division in devastating fashion, on a failed 4^th down conversion on a dropped pass by Jordan Shipley. The Colts, meanwhile, are looking to prove themselves after losing to the Eagles. I think they’ll bounce back big this week against the Bengals. They have injuries all around, most recently and possibly most devastatingly on defense. Peyton Manning can mask their offensive issues, but not their defensive issues. However, Carson Palmer isn’t very good, so I don’t think he can take advantage of that. I have the Colts winning big, but I only have it as a 2 unit pick because the Bengals are the kings of backdoor covers. They only have 2 losses by more than 7 points this season. If you can get this spread at 6.5 however, feel free to put 3-4 units on it.

Tennessee Titans 27 Miami Dolphins 19

Spread: -1 Tennessee

Pick against spread: Tennessee 3 units

Yet another game where I just have to pick a straight up winner. The Dolphins haven’t won at home this season, but that’s excusable because the 3 teams they’ve played at home have a combined 18-6 record. They also lost to the Ravens on the road, who are also 6-2. The Titans however, might be just as good. They are 5-3 on the season, but they just added Randy Moss to open up their offense. I say might because we don’t know. We don’t know the impact Moss will have on this team. I’m picking the Titans to win. The Dolphins looked bad last week. I originally wasn’t going to put more than 2 units on this game because we simply don’t know how good the Titans are with Moss, but I would have picked the Titans to win this game easily without Moss. I can’t see the Dolphins winning this game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23 Carolina Panthers 21

Spread: -6.5 Tampa Bay

Pick against spread: Carolina 2 units

The Buccaneers are a good bad team. They can beat bad teams, but not good teams. The Panthers are a bad team, but that spread is pretty large. The Bucs have only beaten one team by more than 3 points this season. Of course that team was the Panthers (13), but that was before Tanard Jackson got suspended and their defense fell apart. They rank 19^th against the pass and 31^st against the run. The Panthers should be able to move the ball in this game with Jimmy Clausen. Clausen is a better quarterback than Matt Moore in my book. He just got screwed over with his schedule. He faced Chicago’s defense (#1 versus pass), Cincinnati’s defense (#12 versus pass), and New Orleans’ defense (#3 versus pass). I expect him to be able to move the ball and keep this one within a touchdown. John Fox is also 8-3 in his career in games against divisional rivals that have beaten them previously.

Houston Texans 35 Jacksonville Jaguars 31 Upset Pick

Spread: -1.5 Jacksonville

Pick against spread: Houston 2 units

The Texans should win this game. They have an amazing passing offense and the Jaguars can’t stop anyone through the air. However, Andre Johnson is obviously not 100% right now. The Texans are not playing well right now and the Jaguars always get up for divisional opponents. They beat the Texans twice last year and they couldn’t stop the pass then either. They beat the Colts earlier this season and they shouldn’t have been able to do that either. I’m picking the Texans based off of the matchups, but I’m certainly not too confident in that, especially since I’m 1-7 picking Jaguars games this season. They’re one of the most unpredictable teams in the NFL, at least in my eyes.

Denver Broncos 26 Kansas City Chiefs 16 Upset Pick

Spread: -1 Kansas City

Pick against spread: Denver 3 units

Yes, the Broncos losing by 20 to the Chiefs at home week 17 last year is still burned in everyone’s mind, but the Broncos dominated the Chiefs in Denver before that. Their last loss to the Chiefs in Denver was in 2000, by 1 point. The Broncos are coming off of a bye week to regroup and the Chiefs look like a mess right now. The Broncos defense might be struggling, but their quarterback is significantly better right now and I’ll take the significantly better quarterback in a straight up pick game.

New York Giants 34 Dallas Cowboys 17

Spread: -13.5 Giants

Pick against spread: Giants 1 unit

I normally don’t like picking against a team that is getting 2 touchdowns or more, but I’m doing it this week. The Cowboys have been outscored 114-39 since Tony Romo went down, 34-15 of which was against these same Giants in Dallas. This team simply threw in the towel under Wade Phillips. Wade is gone, but I don’t it’ll make much of a difference. In season coaching changes never do. Teams are 2-11 ATS the week after firing their coach midseason (excluding teams with byes) since the early 90s. In season coaching changes are normally promotions of someone in house, so it makes sense that they don’t help. If they weren’t responding to the first guy, why would they respond to someone else who’s been around awhile? Teams normally need new faces when they make a coaching change and this team didn’t get one. I don’t like picking the favorite in a spread of this many points, especially when the underdog is as talented as the Cowboys are supposed to be, but I’m doing it anyway.

Arizona Cardinals 21 Seattle Seahawks 16

Spread: -3 Arizona

Pick against spread: Arizona 1 unit

The Seahawks are coming off of back to back games of losing against the spread by 25 or more points, but they get both Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Okung back which means we won’t have to see Charlie Whitehurst like we did last week or Hasselbeck take 8 sacks like he did 2 weeks ago against Oakland. When Russell Okung is in the lineup, their offense just works so much better. However, I’m going with Arizona. Hasselbeck always looks a little gun shy after getting hurt and taking a lot of sacks. Also, the Cardinals are just a better team at home. The Seahawks are too, but they’re on the road here, where they’re terrible. The Cardinals are 2-1 at home with a differential of +8. The Seahawks on the road are 1-3 with a differential of -61. I’m only putting one unit on it though because the Cardinals are a bad team favored by a field goal.

Update: Okung is out so I like my pick more, but I’m not changing the units or anything. I don’t like laying multiple units on a bad team favored and it’s not like the Cards have the pass rush to capitalize on Okung’s absence. 

San Francisco 49ers 24 St. Louis Rams 16

Spread: -6 San Francisco

Pick against spread: San Francisco 1 unit

I had this one circled as an upset and a big play before this week, but apparently Vegas had the same idea making the 49ers favorites by a whopping 6 points. I’m still taking the 49ers, but only one unit. The 49ers are a different team at home in San Francisco. They beat Oakland at home and hung within a field goal of Philly and New Orleans at home. The 49ers are also coming off their best quarterbacking performance this season. The Rams, on the other hand, have not won on the road. They’re a young team so that’s expected. Candlestick is a tough place to play for a rookie quarterback, especially in his first time in the stadium. There’s always swirling wind and the crowd noise is very underrated. It’s a former baseball stadium so the field looks bigger than it is, and thus the end zone appears farther away. There’s a reason they went 6-2 here last year.

Philadelphia Eagles 34 Washington Redskins 24

Spread: -3 Philadelphia

Pick against spread: Philadelphia 3 units

The Redskins beat the Eagles earlier this season, but they hardly looked good in doing so and the Eagles didn’t have Michael Vick for most of that game. The Redskins are also in massive chaos right now even coming out of their bye. The Eagles will be more motivated to win this game more than the Redskins. The Redskins have already won this rivalry. McNabb got his revenge on the Eagles. The Eagles will be hungry for revenge on McNabb now.

 

This first injury report is only for Falcons/Ravens. The rest of the league’s injury report will be posted Saturday as usual. 

WR Roddy White- Atlanta

White may be the league’s best receiver this season. He’s listed as questionable, but expected to play, so I’d feel safe with him in my lineup.

Sunday

RB Chris Wells- Arizona

He’ll play, but not start. He’s not worth it in fantasy. 

WR Lee Evans- Buffalo

Missed a practice earlier this week with a bum ankle, but it’s listed as probable and expected to play. I wouldn’t count on him though with only 29 catches for 373 yards and 4 scores this season.

RB DeAngelo Williams- Carolina

Out.

RB Jonathan Stewart- Carolina

Out. Mike Goodson will start vs. a weak Tampa Bay run defense so he could have some value.

QB Carson Palmer- Cincinnati

Will play hurt again. I actually like him this week. Indy has an explosive offense and Palmer is at his best in garbage time when the other team already has a big lead.

WR Chad Ochocinco- Cincinnati

He’ll play with an ankle problem, but he really hasn’t been involved in the offense of late, so there are better options.

QB Matt Stafford- Detroit

Out.

QB Shaun Hill- Detroit

With Stafford out, Hill will get the start off of a broken arm. Buffalo’s defense is bad, so he could be a decent bye week filler. In 4 games which he started and finished, he has 1252 (82 rushing) yards, 8 scores, and 6 picks.

QB Matt Schaub- Houston

He’ll play through rib problems. Various injuries have led to some struggles by Schaub this season, but Jacksonville’s secondary is terrible so he could be in for a huge game.

WR Andre Johnson- Houston

Will start through an ankle injury. He’s been playing hurt in each of his last 4 games and has 24 catches for 380 yards and 2 scores in that time. Against Jacksonville, he’s definitely worth a start.

TE Owen Daniels- Houston

Out.

WR Blair White- Indianapolis

Out.

WR Austin Collie- Indianapolis

Out. 

TE Jacob Tamme- Indianapolis

Missed a practice this week with a back problem and had the questionable tag slapped on him, but it looks like he will start vs. Cincinnati and after what he did in his first two career starts, a combined 17 catches for 172 yards and 2 scores, he has to be in your lineup.

RB Joseph Addai- Indianapolis

Out.

RB Mike Hart- Indianapolis

Not officially ruled out, but after not practice all week, it’s very unlikely he plays. Donald Brown will get the start, but Brown is really struggling this season and only managed 50 points against Philly’s run D last week in a start.

WR Percy Harvin- Minnesota

Questionable suffering through bad migraines on top of his bum ankle, but he’s a tough kid. Since injuring his ankle 2 weeks ago, he has 15 catches for 230 yards. He’s a stud you have to have in your lineup.

 

QB Brett Favre- Minnesota

What do you think?

WR Sidney Rice- Minnesota

Not expected to make his season debut this week.

WR Bernard Berrian- Minnesota

Was limited as recently as Friday, but improved Saturday and should start opposite Harvin this week. After his first good performance of the season last week, 9 catches for 89 yards, he could be a solid WR3, but expected inconsistency.

QB Tom Brady- New England

He’ll make the start and he has to be in your lineup, even coming off of a bad game, starting against an elite defense, with a bum foot.

WR Steve Smith- NY Giants

Out.

RB Brandon Jacobs- NY Giants

Missed some practice with an illness, but will play. Use him as you normally would.

RB Shonn Greene- NY Jets

Missed Friday for personal reasons and not injury reasons and will start Sunday.

TE Heath Miller- Pittsburgh

Came back strong Friday after missed practice all week leading up to Friday, so use him as you normally would. However, he hasn’t been terribly productive this season.

RB Marshawn Lynch- Seattle

Thigh and hammy issues limited him in practice this week, but he still should start. He’s been terrible though since coming over from Buffalo with 61 carries for 188 yards and a score. I don’t know why they don’t start Justin Forsett over him.

WR Mike Williams- Seattle

His finger problem is minor and won’t be an issue.

QB Matt Hasselbeck- Seattle

Cleared to play. His left tackle Russell Okung, however, is out, which could be bad news for him. 

RB Steven Jackson- St. Louis

Limited in practice, but what else is new. He’ll start.

TE Kellen Winslow- Tampa Bay

Will play through knee problems again this week.

QB Vince Young- Tennessee

He’ll be in uniform, but either for injury or talent reasons, Kerry Collins will get the start.

QB Donovan McNabb- Washington

He’s questionable, but I doubt he misses this game.

RB Clinton Portis- Washington

RB Ryan Torain- Washington

Both are game time decisions and might just cancel each other out if both play, and since they don’t play until Monday, I’d say stay away from both.

 

Week 10 Pickups 

Week 10 Injury Report 

Week 1 Injury Report

 

Debate the Redskins offseason in the Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

The Redskins were a miserable 4-12 last year. Why? Well going 2-8 in games decided by 8 or fewer probably had a lot to do with it. A mere 4 games of 21 points or higher didn’t do them any favors either. You think having a true franchise quarterback in Donovan McNabb helps? His supporting cast on offense may not be as great as his was in Philadelphia, but McNabb has done it before with bad supporting casts. Until Terrell Owens, he didn’t have a true #1 receiver for most of his career. He’s the type of guy whose favorite target is the open one.

The offensive line may still be a question mark, because I don’t think Trent Williams is as NFL ready as some of the other tackles who went in the first round this year. Their running game is also nothing to get excited about, really, with a bunch of washed up vets passed their prime at the running back position. However, I think McNabb will be fine. If Jason Campbell can throw for 3618 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, then McNabb should be able to do at least that and actually close some games out.

Pair a better offense with a good defense and you’ll get something good. This defense has a few issues in the secondary and they are moving to a completely different scheme in the 3-4, but I think they fit it well with guys like Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo. They had 40 sacks last year despite having a stagnant offense. With more early leads, they’ll be able to blitz more. This is an extremely talented bunch, especially in the front 7. I think they’ll compete for a playoff spot this year, even in an extremely competitive NFC East.

Projection: 9-7 3rd in NFC East

Power Ranking: 15

Last season: 4-12

Draft:

#4 OT Trent Williams (Oklahoma)

Bad pick taking Williams over Okung. Okung would have been perfect for the scheme and been able to protect Donovan McNabb’s blindside right away. However, they liked Trent Williams more which I don’t understand. He has upside, but right now he’s a tweener without a true position. He’s really just a fast right tackle who isn’t a dominant run blocker. He didn’t show himself to be anywhere near good enough as a pass protector to warrant the 4^th pick over Russell Okung.

Grade: C

# 103 MLB Perry Riley (LSU)

There’s nothing wrong with Perry Riley as a player, but he doesn’t fit the scheme well and he doesn’t fill a need. The Redskins have a ton of needs and not a lot of picks so they can’t waste one like they did here.

Grade: C-

#174 TE Dennis Morris (Louisiana Tech)

The Redskins have a ton of needs and not a lot of picks ane need to make each one count. Tight end was probably the one position they didn’t need and Morris is a reach by 1-2 rounds. He can also play fullback, but drafting a backup fullback (Mike Sellers is still a decent player), especially one who has limited experience at the position, is not a smart move with other needs.

Grade: D

#219 WR Terrence Austin (UCLA)

Wide receiver is somewhat of a need, but not a huge need like their offensive line, secondary, or running back position is and Austin is not a good player. He never played well at the college level and has no business being drafted. The Redskins really suck at making picks count, even though Austin has an outside shot at both kick/punt returning jobs. However, with 22.7 yards per kick return in college and 8.7 yards per punt return, he doesn’t exactly jump off the charts there either. He’s never had a special teams touchdown.

Grade: D

#229 C Eric Cook (New Mexico)

At least it’s the right area of the field they are focusing on. They gave up 43 sacks last year and even with the addition of Trent Williams they still need offensive line help. Cook was not the best offensive lineman available, but he’s in the range and he can play multiple positions.

Grade: A-

#231 OT Selvish Capers (West Virginia)

Back in January, Capers could have gone in the 2^nd. Then he embarrassed himself at the Senior Bowl and didn’t live up to his athleticism at the Combine. Still, he is a very raw player with good upside and a good pick here. He fits the scheme and has upside at multiple positions, including left tackle, for the Redskins. Another solid pick for the ‘Skins, but it may be a case of too little too late.

Grade: A 

Overall:

The Redskins had very few picks coming in and had to make them count. They did make a nice trade turning 1 7^th rounder into 2, but they also gave up Jason Campbell and didn’t get a pick in this draft. They had two good picks, but both were 7^th rounders and the rest of their picks were pretty awful. They have already improved themselves this offseason with the addition of McNabb, but if they had made all of these picks count, they could have established themselves as a team that could win the division. Instead, they fall back into the pack of the good NFC East teams and, in my opinon, may have even taken a step back. They really needed to have that #4 be a good player and they didn’t.

Grade: C- 

Key undrafted free agents

S Anderson Russell (Ohio State)

QB Darryl Clark (Penn State)

RB Keiland Williams (LSU)

TE Logan Paulsen (UCLA)

Positions of need:

Offensive Tackle:

Jason Campbell took 43 sacks last year. Jason Campbell isn’t the worst quarterback in the world and who knows, maybe in Mike Shanahan’s system, which he fits better than Jim Zorn’s, and with better protection he can become a good quarterback. He certainly has the physical tools and he’s coming off of a career year stats wise. There is some talk about them taking a quarterback in the first round, but I think they should only do that if Jimmy Clausen is available. Taking Sam Bradford and sticking him behind this line next year is not a good idea with his history of shoulder issues and there’s no guarantee they can get a franchise left tackle in the 2^nd round.

Drafted Trent Williams (#4), Drafted Selvish Capers (#231), Traded for Jammal Brown

Quarterback:

Now if someone bids a ton of money for Jason Campbell, they do need a quarterback, in fact maybe two. They shouldn’t overpay Campbell, so in that case, they should let him leave, get a veteran stopgap guy, draft someone with the 4^th pick and sit him for a year while you fix the offensive line problems and wait to make a playoff run in 2011 and beyond.

Traded for Donovan McNabb 

Running Back:

Clinton Portis looks to be on his last wheels and was really struggling even before the concussion injury which could have cost him his career. Portis has experience in Shanahan’s offense before from his days in Denver, but Shanahan’s offense is a one running back offense that requires one guy to carry the ball 300 times a year and not get hurt. I don’t think Portis can do that and I don’t think Shanahan thinks so either. He’ll be looking for some young blood at the position.

Signed Larry Johnson, signed Willie Parker, signed Ryan Torain

Safety:

They haven’t had a good safety in a while, since the death of Sean Taylor (RIP). LaRon Landry is great against the run, but sucks hard in pass coverage, and opposite him they don’t have much. There are bigger needs, but I could imagine them using a mid round pick on a safety.

Middle Linebacker:

London Fletcher made the Pro Bowl this year for the first time in his career, and deservingly so, but he’s going to be 35 before next season starts so they may want to be looking for some younger blood at the position.

Drafted Perry Riley (#103) 

Center

Casey Rabach is probably one of the worst starting centers in the league. Having an upgrade at the position, though not extremely important, is only going to help Jason Campbell or whoever the quarterback is next year. If they draft Jimmy Clausen, they may want to consider using a mid round pick on Erik Olsen, Clausen’s center at Notre Dame, just for comfort and consistency.

Drafted Erik Cook (#229) 

 

Free agents:

QB Jason Campbell (restricted)- resigned 1 year 3.1 million

QB Todd Collins

QB Colt Brennan 

RB Quinton Ganther (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Seahawks

RB Rock Cartwright- signed with Raiders

RB Marcus Mason- claimed by Chargers

RB Anthony Alridge

RB PJ Hill- claimed by Saints

WR Antawn Randle El- signed with Steelers 3 years

WR Marko Mitchell- claimed by Lions

TE Todd Yoder

OT Stephon Heyer (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.6 million

G Randy Thomas

G Will Montgomery (restricted)- resigned 1 year

C Casey Rabach- resigned 3 yrs 12.3 million 

DE Phillip Daniels- resigned 2 years 2.1 million

DE Chris Wilson (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.6 million

DT Anthony Montgomery (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

DT Kedric Golston (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

DT Lorenzo Alexander (restricted)- resigned 3 years

DT Cornelius Griffin 

DT Anthony Montgomery 

MLB Rocky McIntosh (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

CB Carlos Rogers (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.5 million

CB Fred Smoot 

S Reed Doughty (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

P Hunter Smith 

Offseason moves:

Redskins re-sign CB Carlos Rogers

Redskins waive QB Colt Brennan

Redskins acquire QB John Beck from Ravens for CB Doug Dutch 

Redskins acquire OT Jamaal Brown from Saints 

Redskins re-sign MLB Rocky McIntosh

Redskins re-sign S Reed Doughty 

Redskins waive RB Anthony Alridge

Redskins waive WR Marko Mitchell

Redskins waive RB P.J. Hill

Redskins waive DT Anthony Montgomery

Redskins trade QB Jason Campbell to Raiders for 2012 4th-round pick

Redskins sign WR Joey Galloway

Redskins sign RB Ryan Torian

Redskins sign NT Howard Green

Redskins re-sign DT Kedric Golston

Redskins re-sign DT Anthony Montgomery

Redskins re-sign OT Stephon Heyer 

Redskins re-sign QB Jason Campbell

Redskins acquire QB Donovan McNabb from Eagles for 2010 2nd-rounder and a 2011 conditional mid round pick

Redskins sign RB Willie Parker 

Redskins sign CB Phillip Buchanon

Redskins re-sign DE Chris Wilson 

Redskins sign P Josh Bidwell 

Redskins sign QB Rex GROSSman

Redskins re-sign G Will Montgomery

Redskins sign RB Larry Johnson

Redskins sign NT Maake Kemoeatu

Redskins sign G Artis Hicks

Redskins re-sign OT Mike Williams

Redskins re-sign DE Phillip Daniels

Redskins re-sign DT Lorenzo Alexander

Redskins cut WR Antwaan Randle El

Redskins re-sign C Casey Rabach

Redskins tender G Will Montgomery

Redskins tender DT Anthony Montgomery

Redskins tender DT Lorenzo Alexander

Redskins cut QB Todd Collins

Redskins cut RB Marcus Mason

Redskins cut CB Fred Smoot

Redskins cut DT Cornelius Griffin

Redskins cut G Randy Thomas

Redskins cut RB Rock Cartwright

Redskins tender QB Jason Campbell

Redskins tender CB Carlos Rogers

Redskins tender OT Stephon Heyer

Redskins tender DE Chris Wilson

Redskins announce retirement of OT Chris Samuels

Redskins tender OLB Rocky McIntosh

Redskins tender S Reed Doughty

 

Spotlight #1: Washington RB Chris Polk

Spotlight #2: Washington DT Alameda Ta’amu 

1^st quarter

13:43: Polk with a 7 yard run through a big hole.

13:15: Polk with a short run, not a great push after contact.

11:04: The first time Ta’amu hasn’t been doubled, he just muscles the center backwards. He definitely won that one. Such strong hands.

10:07: Quarterback in trouble, Polk bails him out with a nice pass reception for 8 yards. He has 48 catches in the last 2 plus years coming into tonight.

8:41: Ta’amu pushed back one on one on a big run play.

8:19: Ta’amu breaks free on a pass play.

7:44: Ta’amu almost able to get around his man before the quarterback runs the other way.

6:52: Very nice run by Polk, almost stopped for a loss, but breaks the tackle, avoids another and then runs up field for a 12 yard run. Very elusive for a 225 pound back.

5:48: Polk with an explosive up the middle run. Great burst.

5:16: Nebraska’s Lavonte David, a projected day 2 pick, is one of the fastest and best coverage linebackers in the NCAAs. He’s only 225 pounds, but he’ll make a hell of a cover 2 linebacker at the next level. He picks off a pass here in one on one coverage against a tight end. He looked like a defensive back.

4:04: Ta’amu run at. The ball carrier doesn’t get very far.

3:27: Ta’amu knocks over his man. Pure muscle.

2:42: Ta’amu chases the ball carrier to the outside. He’s not very fast, but that’s not very surprising. I like the effort and the motor. He doesn’t take a lot of plays off and he’s almost always in the game working hard.

1:45: Polk on an outside run, only gets two yards. Play called back after holding.

1:15: Polk runs on 1^st and 20, decent sized run, 6 yards, drags a man with him pretty far. He doesn’t often go down on first contact.

2^nd quarter

14:21: Polk runs over one guy, but he’s immediately tackled by two more.

10:48: Polk catches the dump off on a play action, breaks one tackle, but immediately brought down by a 2^nd.

8:17: Ta’amu draws yet another double, allowing two linebackers to be freed up to tackle the ball carrier for a short gain. They haven’t run inside a lot tonight, but when they have, there hasn’t been a lot of positive results. The play was called back on a holding call anyway.

7:27: A linebacker wraps up the ball carrier on a QB run, Ta’amu finished him off with a brutal big hit.

6:34: Polk with a very weak run here. This is the first time tonight he’s gone down easily.

5:55: Better run this time by Polk, fighting for the extra yard.

5:18: Just an observation, Polk hasn’t been asked to pass block a lot.

4:14: Polk almost able to push himself to the first down. Nice effort, but just short.

3:40: Polk handed to again on 3^rd down and 1, picks up the first time this time. Good vision and a nose for the first down.

2:31: Polk cramping. He should be back soon. He’s at 57 yards on 12 carries against a great Nebraska front that is outplaying Washington’s offensive line.

1:53: One thing I want to mention about that great Nebraska front line. They almost get to the quarterback here, but they’ve been in the back field all night. Jared Crick, the defensive tackle, has been the most impressive of the bunch. Crick, a projected first round pick, could be solidifying himself as a top 20 pick tonight. Not the most naturally athletic kid, but he’s a hard worker and in great shape. He moves very well for a 6-6 290 pounder and has been everywhere tonight. He had 18.5 sacks in the last 2 seasons combined as an under tackle and had his first of this season tonight. He would fit both a 3-4 and a 4-3 at the next level.

 

3^rd quarter

14:41: Polk finds a nice hole, but doesn’t get very far thanks to a great tackle by Lavonte David.

13:43: Ta’amu double teamed, gets free and puts a huge hit on the running back for a short loss. I don’t know how if you can call this a tackle. The running back ran into Ta’amu and fell over. Ta’amu didn’t even have to do anything.

9:54: Polk nearly fumbles on a 3 yard gain.

7:56: Ta’amu in on the tackle on the outside. He moves pretty well for a 330 pounder.

6:18: Polk with another short run. He hasn’t been stopped for a loss tonight, but he has yet to break one yet.

5:29: Polk with a first down run on 3^rd and 1. This is the situation he’s great in. He’s 225 pounds and breaks a lot of tackles.

4:55: Polk with a first down run on 1^st and 10. About 6 or 7 of the yards were on a huge hole opened up, but the final few yards were all him, pushing and refusing to go down.

2:09: A huge 4^th down sack by Jared Crick. Crick is having an amazing game today. I’ve more impressed with him than anyone on the field tonight. Big question with him is where does he plays in a 4-3 at 6-5 285 at the next level. Can he stay at DT or does he have to move to left end.

4^th quarter

10:15: Chris Polk with his first touchdown of the night with a 2 yard run.

8:53: Ta’amu draws the blocks away and allows a linebacker to get in for a sack on a blitz.

8:05: Polk almost breaks a big one, but tripped up at the last second. Still an 8 yard gain.

7:34: Polk breaks several tackles on his way to a 26 yard gain. This was all him. Great explosive, great power, and a nice spin move to boot. Excellent run.

5:19: Ta’amu gets pushed back on 3 straight plays. This is the first time tonight that Nebraska has had consistent success running up the middle.

2:56: Ta’amu goes out with some sort of injury.

2:12: Polk with an explosive run for the 1^st down and then some on 3^rd and 1.

0:00: Alameda Ta’amu left with some sort of injury, but as long as that’s not serious, he should still be a day 2 pick in the NFL Draft. He’s 330 pounds and carries it well. He doesn’t sit out a lot of plays and he’s got a very strong motor. He’s a boulder on the line and very tough to move and he’s uses his hands very well. He’s also a huge tackler. He got moved around on some cases and didn’t have an amazing game, but a very solid game for him. Nebraska didn’t run up the middle very well until late.

Chris Polk was also very impressive. He rushed for 130 yards and a score on 22 carries and more importantly he didn’t get stopped for a loss at all, very impressed because he had a lot of 3^rd and 1 type carries. He’s not the type of back who is a threat to score the ball every time, but if you need someone to grind things out for you, he’s your guy. He moves well for a 225 pounder and he doesn’t go down easily at all. He’s also got solid hands out of the backfield. After Trent Richardson, this is the best running back in this draft class.

However, Polk wasn’t even the most impressive player on the field. That was Jared Crick. I wasn’t spotlighting him, but he had a huge game. He was all over the field as a 6-5 285 pound defensive tackle. He’s not a great athlete, but he’s a high motor, high energy, high production type player. His best position at the next level is 3-4 defensive end and there are questions about how he fits into a 4-3, but he could be a JJ Watt type player as a 3-4 end at the next level. Remember, Watt went 11^th in 2011. How good Nebraska’s front is makes Polk’s game even more impressive. 

 

Spotlight #1: Virginia Tech S Eddie Whitley

Spotlight #2: North Carolina DT Tydreke Powell 

1st quarter

14:46: Powell gets penetration, puts his hands up when the quarterback starts to throw, which I like to see, other defender hits quarterback as he throws, forces fumbles, good instincts by Powell to recover.

14:05: Dwight Jones catches one short, breaks Jayron Hosley’s tackle, eventually ridden out by Whitley after a good amount of powerful yards after the catch.

13:42: Whitley blocked well on an inside touchdown run.

13:00: Powell whistled for being off sides.

10:51: Powell disengages and able to get contact on the back before he’s tackle after a gain of 2.

8:54: Zach Brown hits the quarterback as he throws, still completed.

7:26: Whitley can’t tackle back from behind on a good gain.

6:21: Hosley gives up a good gain on a completion to Dwight Jones.

5:15: Whitley makes first contact with back in the backfield.

4:32: Jayron Hosley gives up another completion to Jones, really struggling with his size and talent.

4:01: Whitley takes a bad route to the ball in the backfield, back goes for a few yards.

2:44: Whitley gets a tackle, but not before a 1^st down conversion on a short inside run.

2^nd quarter

13:02: Powell gives good chase on the quarterback out of the pocket.

7:59: Whitley one of two on a guy deep, overthrown, but receiver had both beat with solid separation. This one is on the safety.

4:43: Whitley on a tackle after a sizeable gain.

 

3^rd quarter

14:01: Whitley gets open field tackle, dragged a bit, needed tackle.

13:04: Whitley thrown on, pass dropped for a would be short completion on 3^rd down. Whitley would have been in position to make tackle and stop well short of sticks anyway.

12:27: Coples gets pressure and gets a piece of the ball at the line.

9:05: Powell blocked off the play on a long touchdown run up the middle into his gap by the quarterback on a designed run.

8:50: Dwight Jones makes a great catch, but nullified by pass interference with a push off by Jones.

8:28: Whitley misses an open field tackle on the tight end, after he caught the ball wide open on a dump off.

7:49: Jones takes one in the flat, breaks Hosley’s tackle immediately, takes for a few.

3:34: Hosley gets in at the last second to deflect one from Jones.

2:21: Jarret Boykin with a good gain in the air against single coverage followed by several broken tackles. Great cuts and bounces on the play.

1:22: Powell shows poor motor too much for my liking.

0:11: Dwight Jones goes over the middle in a crowd and makes a nice catch on a slant against Whitley among others.

4^th quarter

14:55: Whitley allows a first down on a short catch, hits and drops him immediately.

14:30: Whitley shows good discipline on a trick play, maintaining his gap and is one of several who gets a hit on the ball carrier, though after a gain off a few.

13:22: Whitley goes to the sideline and makes the tackle in space, good job to cover space in a hurry, though after a first and a solid gain.

10:09: David Wilson fumbles, a common problem for him, forced by Coples, but recovered by Virginia Tech.

9:58: Coples with a sack on a very tough quarterback to bring down, former tight end back there.

9:43: Jones gets open against Hosley for a good gain and another first down.

4:50: Powell gets spinned around in penetration, can’t find ball carrier, looked confused, poor instincts.

3:40: Jones with a good catch over the middle, good fight, drags a pile, eventually does down, Hosley in on pile, but doesn’t allow catch.

3:10: Whitley allows a huge gain one on one on a receiver in the slot, eventually brought down at the 1, 64 yards.

1:42: Coples in on a tackle for loss.

1:37: Powell run at for a short gain.

0:00: The biggest matchup in this game was between North Carolina’s Dwight Jones and Virginia Tech’s Jayron Hosley. Jones is a potential late first round pick, while Hosley figures to go in the early to mid day 2 range. Jones dominated this matchup, finishing with 6 catches for 105 yards. It’s worth noting that Hosley only directly allowed 2 of those catches.

Two were over the middle and two were caught short in the flat wide open, though on both he broke Hosley’s tackle and got a solid gain so that’s essentially giving up two catches by Jones. Jones also had another catch nullified by a borderline push off, which was ruled offensive pass interference. Hosley’s best play of the game was one where he made a tough play on the ball at the last second and got in for a deflection that prevented another Dwight Jones catch and good gain.

Other than that, Hosley did not have a great game. I was not impressed with Hosley against Miami either. He struggled with another big wide receiver, Tommy Streeter, struggled to tackle and generally showed an unwillingness to play the run. In this one, he showed better willingness to play the run by the 5-10 171 pounder had trouble with tackling in the open field, especially trying to tackle the physical 6-4 230 pound Jones. He also struggled to cover Jones, the bigger receiver, again. He’s got good ball skills and quickness, but with his lack of size, he’s really a boom or bust player who might be best off in the slot.

Some compare him to former Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers, but he doesn’t have Flowers toughness and physicality to combat lack of size (5-9). He reminds me more of another Virginia Tech cornerback, DeAngelo Hall, a 5-10 cornerback. Like Hall, Hosley has great ball skills and will post great interception and deflection, but upon closer inspection he gives up a lot of completions and struggles to tackle in the open field. On the season, Hosley has 59 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 interceptions and 12 deflections after 9 last season.

Hosley isn’t the only highly ranked defensive back Virginia Tech has. Eddie Whitley is a 6-1 205 pound safety and after this game I’m convinced he’s best as a strong safety at the next level. He really struggled in this one. One of Jones’ interior receptions was one on one with Whitley, but he also gave up a 61 yarder deep one on one to wide receiver Eric Highsmith. He played the run well, but not enough to be an elite strong safety prospect. Once a potential day 2 pick, Whitley looks like a mid to late round pick as a safety. He missed a couple tackles in this one and is a bit undersized for a strong safety. On the season, he has 83 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 picks and 4 deflections.

Another key matchup in this one was between Virginia Tech’s left tackle Blake DeChristopher and defensive end Quinton Coples. Coples is an elite prospect who should go in the top 10, while DeChristopher is a mid rounder. DeChristopher looked like a mid round in this one has Coples dominated him, frequently against double teams, which he’s been facing all season. Coples had 8 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1 sack, a forced fumble, and a deflection in this one and generally wreaked havoc in the backfield.

On the season, he has 55 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks, underwhelming stats at first for such a highly rated prospect, but he’s so frequently double teamed so that saps his production a bit. He’s also a beast against the run and that doesn’t always show on the stat sheet. He remains a top 10 prospect in my book. His spotlight game against Louisville was one of the most impressive spotlight games all season.

Another talented defensive lineman for North Carolina is defensive tackle Tydreke Powell. On the season, he has 46 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and 1 sack. He has good athletic ability, but my general sense of him is that he should have more production with guys like Quinton Coples and Kareem Martin tying up blockers on the outside. Basically, this game just proved that. He had his moments, but against mostly single teams, he struggled to get penetration and didn’t hold up against the run, including on a play where Logan Thomas ran 23 yards up the middle for a touchdown on a designed quarterback run.

Virginia Tech has two other talented offensive players, 2 skill position players. Their running back David Wilson has declared for the draft recently. In just his first season as a starter, he has rushed for 1709 yards and 9 touchdowns on 270 carries. He also caught 22 passes. He’s a bit undersized at 5-10 205 and has struggled some against elite defenses. He rushed for just 32 yards on 11 carries against Clemson, 82 yards on 24 carries against Michigan, and 82 yards on 21 carries in this one. I wasn’t too impressed by him, but I may be when I spotlight him and get a better look. He’s also got a fumble problem, with 7 fumbles, including one in this one. Combine all that with the fact that he’s a one year wonder and I think he’s a bit overrated. He’s about a 3^rd or 4^th rounder in my book, but that could change.

Virginia Tech wide receiver Jarrett Boykin is Virginia Tech’s all time leading receiver. On this season, he caught 61 passes for 761 yards and 5 touchdowns. He had a great game here, one of his best, with 10 catches for 106 yards, a good portion of which were against North Carolina’ Charles Brown, a potential mid to late round pick. Boykin, also a mid to late round pick, also had one great play where he made a tough catch and broke several tackles in the open field for 39 yards. The 6-3 215 pound receiver will have to have a good Senior Bowl and run well at The Combine to raise his stock. Some believe he could run in the 4.6s. I’ll spotlight him at some point this season.