Redskins Training Camp Day Eighteen - It's All on You Dude

No pressure or anything, just millions of Redskins fans to please

Wednesday 6 August 2008

Jason Campbell is the Redskins starter. And he knows Redskins fans have questions about whether he can lead an NFL team. It's refreshing to know Jason is not totally clueless or has not somehow tried to remove himself from the picture or discount the existence and influence of the fans a la Mark Brunell Mr. The Fans Don't Exist I Just Try to Go Do My Job. The Redskins and Jason Campbell are at a brightlight NFL crossroads right now, Jason can move up and assume the role of the Guy You Don't Need to Worry About, ie a starter whose abilities and appreciation in the market are a given for each and every new Redskins season. Under contract for the long term and a guy you build around. Donovan McNabb. Matt Hasselbeck.

Or he can take another step toward being the Guy You Have Questions About, the QB you are always trying to put into better position with new receivers, new linemen etc etc and so forth and so on, a guy that can keep the job by default because you want him to be so good so badly that you don't bring in a serious challenger and wind up neglecting the rest of the team. Rex Grossman. Byron Leftwich.

Epilogue to that piece (op. cit.), Todd Collins has no chance at the Redskins starting job. Evar. If Jason gets football dysentary this will be Colt Brennan's team.


In coach county defensive coordinator Greg Blache, the guy whose title has not changed since 2007 but whose responsibility is now total for the defense, doesn't really mince words (also ibid.) Bonus points for the rookies are like strippers and playing time is like a rope you can hang yourself with analogies.


In the quaint hamlet of offensive line, suddenly depth is a problem (op. cit., also ibid.). Todd Wade and Stephon Heyer both injured themselves slightly in the Hall of Fame Game and could miss up to two weeks, this forces a buch of young and inexperienced guys into the roles. Aside from Jason Fabini (13 starts last year at right guard in place of injured Randy Thomas) and rookie third round draft pick Chad Rinehart, the other names are new or unfamiliar to us: Justin Geisinger (third year but unused, two total games experience), Tavares Washington (second year, was on 49ers practice squad in 2007), Devin Clark (Redskins undrafted rookie free agent). I think Todd, Jason Fabini and Stephon are still the principal backups with Chad being the newcomer that is kept, we shall see how the new guys play in the Bills game.


In defensive line burg it seems as though Anthony Montgomery has the edge over Kedric Golston at starting defensive tackle opposite Cornelius Griffin though that competition is not over (ibid., also ibid. and op. cit.). Anthony (fifth round) and Kedric (sixth round) were both drafted by the Redskins in 2006, Kedric started 13 games as a rookie after Joe Salave'a injured his calf in week two and was not the same. In 2007 training camp Joe was cut and Anthony won the job over Kedric, now the competition is pretty fierce but good natured. Kedric and Anthony are good examples of smart drafting by the Redskins. Also, rookie seventh round draft pick defensive end Rob Jackson looked good in the HoF Game but also made some mistakes (ibid.).


In punter palisades there is still a competition that seems to simmer more than boil. That will change as cut day looms, one of these guys, Derrick Frost or rookie sixth round pick Durant Brooks will be out of a job. Matt Terl at the ORB (Official Redskins Blog) manages to get an exclusive interview with Derrick.


Middle linebacker London Fletcher and defensive end Jason Taylor may see some action in the bills game after sitting out the HoF Game. Rookie seventh round pick safety Chris Horton has a stomach virus and did not practice. In other not good news cornerback/safety Shawn Springs has a sore Achilles tendon. Those things get sore for a long time before finally rupturing (all ibid.).


Matt Terl has an interview with director of player personnel Scott Campbell and asks for questions for him from the Redskins peanut gallery. Later Scott has a quickie evaluation of rookies CB Justin Tryon and S Chris Horton, later of undrafted rookie free agent CB Matteral Richardson. Matt also has a Colt Brennan only roundup, featuring a link out to the New York Times' Fifth Down blog from April discussing Colt's prospects in the NFL. More Colt Brennan: Homer McFanboy (aka Brian Murphy) has an interview with Colt.

CaptChaosSidekick at Hogs Haven links to an ESPN interview with Chris Cooley, Mr. Media Man NFL. Will Allensworth also at Hogs Haven riffs on Greg Blache and strippers.

Rich Tandler is reporting that Ladell Betts redid his contract to help the team accommodate the Jason Taylor trade. By adding an extra year to the contract and converting the 2 million dollar roster bonus to signing bonus, thus spreading it across the length of the contract, now running six years through 2013, Ladell lowers his current year cap number. I do not doubt anything Rich writes, I have not seen this reported elsewhere. I also question whether it is accurate to say that Ladell now is more entrenched money wise given the extension. If his original new contract had 3.5 million dollars in signing bonus over six years (it was an extension, he already had a year left) that's 583 thousand dollars in pro rata bonus plus salary, and the 2 million dollar 2008 roster bonus. That 2007 slice of the signing bonus is gone, accrued, leaving 2.9 million to spread over five years, add in the 2 million now over six years and you still do not get more than an four million accrued in pro rata cap even the team cut him now which they will not. That number now goes down by 819 thousand every season if my math is right, making it still plenty easy to cut him, if Rich's reporting is accurate the deal does not solidify Ladell all that much more, it was simply a current year action to get room for Jason Taylor. Ladell is affordable and the team only needs to keep him as long as he is useful.



Jason Campbell: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP photo from here.