The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

A Fit for Redskins' Needs at No. 2 -- and Elsewhere

By Michael Wilbon
Wednesday, February 1, 2006; E08



DETROIT He's at the top of quite a few wish lists, a 26-year-old free agent critical to the success of a Super Bowl team. No doubt, the Chicago Bears want Antwaan Randle El to come home. The Washington Redskins haven't said publicly they want him, but they don't have to. Of the players out there who fit the description of number two wide receiver, at the top of the list there's the Colts' Reggie Wayne and the Steelers' Randle El. And while Wayne is more prolific as a pass catcher, no wide receiver out there, not even his Pittsburgh teammate Hines Ward, can claim to be more versatile than Randle El.

He averages 15.9 yards per reception on a team that traditionally doesn't like to throw much. He has run the ball from scrimmage, mostly on reverse and end-around plays, for a career average of 5.9 per carry. He has returned four punts for touchdowns. And the former Indiana University quarterback has completed 14 of 16 career passes -- 87.5 percent -- for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has taken the position the Steelers popularized -- "Slash" -- to new levels. And if the Steelers can't or don't want to pay Randle El, somebody will.

The Redskins might not be able to pull off signing him because of the salary cap, but then again, Daniel Snyder has been fairly creative and quite insistent when he wants a player. While the Pittsburgh coaches are more creative offensively and more willing than most to welcome college quarterbacks who can play wide receiver and virtually anywhere else on the field (Kordell Stewart, Ward and now Randle El), one would think that the new offensive boss, Al Saunders, could figure out what to do with a quadruple threat. Is it a stretch to think that Randle El is the piece that could dramatically improve the Redskins' offense?

As you might expect, Randle El, being just a little busy this week, isn't ready to sit down and share his plans for free agency. "The free agency stuff, we're kind of going to have to leave alone," he said Tuesday. "Anyway, I have no idea."

But he's not unaware. He knows there are going to be suitors, including one that plays in Chicago, the town in which he grew up. "It's flattering in a way," he said. "And I do know about the buzz in the city over the possibility. But . . . "

When coaches and players talk about an X-factor in games like these, they're talking about players with unique abilities, which is what Randle El has both physically and mentally. The word "versatile" is inadequate to describe what he can do. Making the transition from college quarterback to professional wide receiver was mostly seamless even though he speaks of the difficulties. Like Ward, who assisted in that transition, Randle El knows all the positions on offense and can anticipate what defenders are thinking.

"As a quarterback going to receiver," he said, "you realize how long a quarterback can reasonably hold on to the football. You know he's waiting and you don't want to leave him hanging out there to dry, so there's more of a sense of urgency about running your routes."

By this time, after four years in the NFL, he and Ward can read coverages as a quarterback or as a receiver. Asked if had his choice of scoring on a pass reception, run or throw, Randle El jokingly said: "Why would you want to limit me? I can do all three! Catch one, run one, throw one, maybe return a punt for one. That would be four."

But Randle El also brings other athletic instincts, sensibilities and experiences to the table. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs to play baseball and played basketball at Indiana as well as football. "When I went to IU," he said, "I'd been drafted by the Cubs, I had a football scholarship and I wanted to play basketball. I wanted to play for Coach [Bobby] Knight. But I prayed about what to do. I put it in God's hands. This road seems to be the best platform for me." A slightly lesser authority, Michael Jordan, once told the kid that he'd prosper regardless, but to go where his heart led him.

When it became clear at the Senior Bowl and in workouts for teams that he could be a contributing wide receiver, Randle El decided he wouldn't insist on playing quarterback. But it was difficult to go from being on the field and handling every snap to being uninvolved if the ball wasn't thrown his way, which it usually isn't. "That was hard," he said, "but playing a backup role is even harder. That's one of the reasons I wanted to return punts and kicks. I wanted to get involved in every way I can."

That's especially useful for a second wide receiver (he was third when Plaxico Burress was in Pittsburgh) on a run-first team. Randle El caught five passes in a game only once this season, and just 35 in 16 games, 15 of which he started. But he also rushed 12 times for 73 yards, returned one kick and 44 punts, three of them for 70 yards or longer. This season, he completed all three of his pass attempts, one for a 51-yard touchdown.

He and Ward take exception to the "jack of all trades, master of none" description that gets hung on both of them. "I don't like the phrase 'trick plays,' either," Randle El said. "You guys call it that, but they're just plays. When run properly, they're plays that work."

The question for Sunday will be how successfully the Steelers coaches can incorporate Randle El's skills into a game plan to counter a Seahawks defense that's smallish and fast and led the NFL in sacks. The question beyond that will be whether the Steelers decide to come up with big money to keep Randle El, something the team doesn't often do; the Steelers count on, much to their scouts' credit, finding young and inexpensive players who can be coached to do things fairly quickly out of college. If the Steelers bet that way again, some team is going to find itself with a unique talent who initially will be described as "receiver" but in reality will be infinitely more valuable than that.

USAFSkinFan wrote:After the XL game his price is going to be even higher than Reggie Wayne... too high...

fan4life28 wrote:Love to have him, but the fact is, he's too expensive. With our cap situation, not gonna happen. (besides, he'll prolly go to chicago)

rick301 wrote:As alluded to in the article, what Dan wants, Dan usually finds a way to get ...

I agree that this is not real likely ... but I like the idea!

Maybe we should be looking for a QB to play WR ... convert Patrick?

USAFSkinFan wrote:After the XL game his price is going to be even higher than Reggie Wayne... too high...

28green28 wrote:As hailskins94 alluded to, Wayne is staying put. I read somewhere that they will let James go and use the franchise tag on Wayne. That means he'll be getting big bucks. Even if that rumor is going around, Wayne's price tag is too high for the skins.

air_hog wrote:If he takes an endaround 50 yards, throws a 30 yard bomb, and catches 5 passes for 100 yards then we'll have no chance.

But if he only goes for like 2 catches for 30 yards and Hines Ward goes for like 10-150, then for somereason his stock will drop.

DiRTyHoG3026 wrote:Ken wizzunhunt(sp?) loves randle el way too much. I watch all of the steelers games and he does at least two or three trick plays per game with him. Plus, I think he's gonna try to stay with pittsburgh, even if he gets less money. Why would he leave a situation where he's a lock for the playoffs and a super bowl contender every year?

Smithian wrote:I have been watching the Bucs, Eagle, and a few other games the last couple days and it hit me about something we could use.

I think we should draft a substandard QB with excellent speed in the second day and use them as a utility player and move him around on the offense from WR to QB to RB to take some of the pressure off Moss to produce all the explosion plays. He wouldn't need to be that great at any position, but just have the ability to get a good 10-15 yard play here and there.

I think a good player for this role would be a Brad Smith type in the third round if he slips because of his eratic passing.

I think the best example of this would be a Kordell Stewart or Antwaan Randle-El.

What do you all think?

Smithian wrote:As I said in another topic...

Smithian wrote:I have been watching the Bucs, Eagle, and a few other games the last couple days and it hit me about something we could use.

I think we should draft a substandard QB with excellent speed in the second day and use them as a utility player and move him around on the offense from WR to QB to RB to take some of the pressure off Moss to produce all the explosion plays. He wouldn't need to be that great at any position, but just have the ability to get a good 10-15 yard play here and there.

I think a good player for this role would be a Brad Smith type in the third round if he slips because of his eratic passing.

I think the best example of this would be a Kordell Stewart or Antwaan Randle-El.

What do you all think?