Five weeks to go until the start of the NFL’s league year. There’s nothing to do but rumor-monger Washington Redskins, um, rumors. Redskins Hog Heaven must keep up, so, here we go.
The Redskins will franchise TE Fred Davis
Jason LaCanfora first reported this development. It’s a good tactic for a team dealing with a player who raised questions about self-control. Davis proved himself to be Washington’s best playmaker on offense last season when he finally surpassed injured Chris Cooley as a tight end. There is good and bad news in that. The good news is that Davis’s talents compare to the best players in his position just when the NFL is adding spread formations to its arsenal. Receiving tight ends are a key ingredient in that concept. AFC champion New England Patriots made the best use of two tight end sets in its potent offense.
The bad news is that New England was so reliant on Rob Grongkowski and Aaron Hernandez because of underwhelming production of its wide receivers. (Is Chad OchoCinco really on the Patriots’ roster?) The Pats were exposed against the Giants and the Ravens defense. Because they are the Patriots, no one said that they backed into the Super Bowl, but they were one missed field goal away from sitting home last Sunday. The Redskins are more receiver-challenged than the Patriots.
Davis is a keeper for Washington as he rebuilds his off the field reputation, but the allure of throwing bombs to a tight end is not enough to lure a high profile free agent laser rocket arm to Redskins Park.
Read more – Rich Tandler, Redskins Fred Davis to get tagged.
Vincent Jackson is not likely to return to the San Diego Chargers
No NFL player drew more hits to Hog Heaven as Vincent Jackson when we repeated several rumors that Jackson might join the Redskins. At the time, that possibility was so remote that it was non-existent. Now, the Chargers say they will not franchise Jackson who harbors deep resentment about the team’s negotiating stance with him over the last two seasons. Jackson will certainly test the market. If the Redskins want Jackson, they must compete against other receiver-needy teams for the services of the 29-year-old wide out.
I am surprised that the Redskins community hasn’t picked up on the real possibility of Jackson. Like everything else in pro football, quarterbacks draw the oxygen out of every discussion. Hog Heaven continues to argue that quarterback is not the team’s most critical need, although the Redskins must make a move at the position. Is Jackson a solution? Jackson finished the 2011 campaign with 60 receptions for 1,106 yards and nine touchdowns. Twenty-one of his catches were over 20 yards in Norv Turner’s Downfield Offense.
Jabar Gaffney (31) had a career year with the Redskins, just like his quarterback, Rex Grossman. Gaffney logged 68 receptions for 947 yards and five touchdowns. Fourteen of his catches went for 20+ yards. Gaffney is a west coast offense receiver, but the Shanahan’s want to go downfield a lot more than they could last season. Jackson would be a boost for Washington’s receiver corps, but a marginal upgrade for Gaffney. Converting Jackson to the west coast offense should be a concern, but it probably will not be.
Trivia question, Name two players who were plaintiffs in the lockout lawsuit against the NFL? Did you say Vincent Jackson and Peyton Manning? Pay the man, Johnny.
Read more – NFLSoup.com, Vincent Jackson not likely to return to the San Diego Chargers
Is Peyton Manning even interested in the Washington Redskins?
Mike Jones of WaPOST’s The Insider thinks that lack of firepower hinders the Redskins chance to land the big fish…if Manning is even available for such a possibility. True that, but when we compared the 2011 Redskins to the pre-Brett Favre Jets and Vikings, we found that the team’s stats were not so far off that Manning couldn’t make noise with the Redskins. The issue and point of Jones’ story is that there are no comparatives to Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice on the Redskins.
Fixation on Manning has driven all talk about RG3 off the Redskins Twitterverse. To judge by comments I get on Hog Heaven’s Facebook page, signing Manning would be controversial with the fanbase.
Read more – The Insider, Lack of talent could hurt the Redskins’ chances of landing Peyton Manning.
Ex-Redskin Brian Mitchell thinks brag that the Redskins swept the Giants is “loser talk.” We agree completely.
Just don’t go there. It’s a door best left closed. Sweeping the Giants means the Redskins avoided a three-win season and that’s all. The Giants as we all know haven’t lost a game since; nor have the Redskins won since.
Read more – DC Sports Bog, Brian Mitchell on the Redskins and “loser talk.”
Ex-DC mayor thinks Dan Snyder does obscene things with his mouth.
Washington’s notorious former mayor and current DC Council member Marion Barry tweeted during the Super Bowl (I’m quoting here so it’s OK), “You know the Redskins suck. I’m tired of watching everyone else in the Superbowl (sic). Aint been right since they left DC.”
Right. That’s just the way to lure the Redskins back to DC.
Both the city and then-owner Jack Kent Cooke blew (no pun intended) the chance to replace RFK Stadium in the District. Communities in Virginia loved the Redskins, but didn’t want them to locate there. The Commonwealth proposed sites as far away as the Hampton Roads region. Cooke eventually settled in Prince Georges County, Maryland, who welcomed him with open arms.
PG County was so hungry for Redskins cachet that they allowed Dan Snyder to close public sidewalks to fans walking from private parking lots to the stadium, which really did suck.
Big and sterile FedEx Field lets fan noise escape to the ether instead of channeling it back to the field–one of the great features of old RFK. But with cap and ownership issues in the ’90s and dumb management in the ‘aughts, the Redskins would have lost at RFK, too.
Still, fans should not quote tee-shirts sold in Dallas when tweeting the Redskins.
Barry has a pair of big ones to criticize anyone about anything. But then, we already knew that about Hizzonor.
Read more – PostLocal, Barry defends tirade against Redskins, Snyder.
Bovada (formerly Bodog) thinks the Arizona Cardinals have the best odds to land Peyton Manning.
The odds received by email: Cardinals 2/1; Redskins 5/2; Dolphins 3/1; Jets 7/2; Colts 7/1.
Two words, Larry Fitzgerald.
Point after
It’s the NFL offseason. Everybody’s lying.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
