2014 News out of OTAs

[riggofan]

As requested! Gotta say its weird that it looks like there might actually be real competition at the safety position just to make the roster.

Gruden on S Phillip Thomas: "He's just getting back in the flow." Had an impressive interception in practice today.

http://www.csnwashington.com/redskinsbl ... -lost-time

Although Phillip Thomas did not play a single snap in 2013, the Redskins are hopeful the second-year safety can be a major contributor this season.

And it didn’t take long for Thomas to show why the team has such high hopes for him.

During Thursday’s OTA practice—the first session opened to the media this offseason—Thomas showed no ill effects from the season-ending Lisfranc injury he suffered last August.

He even made one of the day’s highlight reel plays.

About midway through the non-contact practice, Thomas jumped in front of a Colt McCoy pass and made a diving interception near the sideline.

The eye-popping pick elicited some applause and a few hollers from his teammates. More important, it grabbed the attention of Coach Jay Gruden.

“Phillip’s done a great job,” Gruden said afterward. “He had a great interception today. He’s just getting back in the flow and [defensive backs coach Raheem Morris] is working with him and doing a good. And between [Thomas] and [Brandon] Meriweather, we expect good things from that safety spot.”

Thomas later explained: “I’m just healthy now and I’m out there doing what comes naturally to me.”

[riggofan]

I thought the news about Keenan Robinson might actually be the most significant thing to come out of OTAs so far. Seems like they are really thinking he can be the ILB guy.

http://www.csnwashington.com/redskinsbl ... g-starters

Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson hasn’t played in a football game in 18 months because of injuries to both of his pectoral muscles. But you wouldn’t know it by his performance so far in OTAs.

“We have high hopes for Keenan and we love the progress he’s making,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “Just from a short period of time, he’s one of the guys on the field that stand out [like], ‘Is that Keenan again?”

During Thursday’s OTA session, Robinson routinely lined up alongside Perry Riley as the other starting inside linebacker. Robinson will face competition from Darryl Sharpton, Akeem Jordan and possibly Adam Hayward, but it certainly seems as though he’s got the early edge.

Robinson also made the play calls, just as the recently retired London Fletcher did.

Still early, but if Fletcher's spot and the safety positions turn out to not be the big issues we've been concerned about, does that change your perception of the team?

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

You da man Riggo!! I see RGiii on sportscenter, then it's the ol name change debate on here smfh- thank you sir!

[yupchagee]

I thought the news about Keenan Robinson might actually be the most significant thing to come out of OTAs so far. Seems like they are really thinking he can be the ILB guy.

http://www.csnwashington.com/redskinsbl ... g-starters

Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson hasn’t played in a football game in 18 months because of injuries to both of his pectoral muscles. But you wouldn’t know it by his performance so far in OTAs.

“We have high hopes for Keenan and we love the progress he’s making,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “Just from a short period of time, he’s one of the guys on the field that stand out [like], ‘Is that Keenan again?”

During Thursday’s OTA session, Robinson routinely lined up alongside Perry Riley as the other starting inside linebacker. Robinson will face competition from Darryl Sharpton, Akeem Jordan and possibly Adam Hayward, but it certainly seems as though he’s got the early edge.

Robinson also made the play calls, just as the recently retired London Fletcher did.

Still early, but if Fletcher's spot and the safety positions turn out to not be the big issues we've been concerned about, does that change your perception of the team?

Yes A lot.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

x2!!!

[riggofan]

You da man Riggo!! I see RGiii on sportscenter, then it's the ol name change debate on here smfh- thank you sir!

I know it man. I just need to tune out the name change stuff. Whatever is going to happen will happen.

It looks to me like there is some good stuff happening at OTAs right now. Just the fact that we have guys COMPETING for those safety positions kind of blows my mind.

Speaking of safeties, did anybody notice news on two of the biggest free agents that everybody was p***ed off we didn't sign? TJ Ward arrested in Denver for a strip club incident. And Jairus Byrd signed his big contract then immediately opted to have back surgery. LMFAO. Obviously not saying those guys won't be good for those teams, but still... What would fans be saying right now if we'd blown our whole FA wad on Byrd and he misses OTAs for back surgery? That's crazy.

Players who were returning kicks last week: Lache Seastrunk, Chris Thompson, Nick Williams, Andre Roberts and Rashad Ross. What do you think?

Two players I'm really curious about headed into training camp: LeRib and Minnifield. I don't know, just both guys I would still like to see prove themselves and earn a roster spot. Sounds like Minnifield is playing with a chip on his shoulder so far.

Btw it must suck to google yourself when you are LeRib. The first result I was getting is "josh leribeus out of shape".

[Countertrey]

Btw it must suck to google yourself when you are LeRib. The first result I was getting is "josh leribeus out of shape".

Yeah... perhaps...


on the other hand, he did it to himself. Can't feel bad for him.
Hope he steps it up.

I'm REALLY pulling for Minnefield... if he can turn out to his potential, we could be looking at one deep set of quality DB's... who'da thunk it?

[riggofan]

Btw it must suck to google yourself when you are LeRib. The first result I was getting is "josh leribeus out of shape".

Yeah... perhaps...


on the other hand, he did it to himself. Can't feel bad for him.
Hope he steps it up.

I'm REALLY pulling for Minnefield... if he can turn out to his potential, we could be looking at one deep set of quality DB's... who'da thunk it?

Same, man. These were Keim's notes on Minnifield from OTAs if you missed it:

Corner Chase Minnifield will get into a lot of tussles this camp – a safe prediction. He nearly got into one with tight end Niles Paul Thursday. Minnifield is physical and feisty and that will never please those running routes in practice. This time, Minnifield was grabbing Paul on the entire route and at the end Paul shoved him. Minnifield bounced up and shoved him back. It didn’t escalate.

Minnifield did pick off a Kirk Cousins pass in zone coverage. Minnifield sank deep on the route and grabbed a pass that was intended for Williams.

He's two years off the injury now, right?

[Hooligan]

It looks to me like there is some good stuff happening at OTAs right now. Just the fact that we have guys COMPETING for those safety positions kind of blows my mind.

Totally. Not just at safety, but all DBs, along the lines and at MLB. It's refreshing that there's competition to see who's BEST, where we've previously had competition to see who is "good enough" to hold down the spot till the offseason.

As a first year HC, I feel like Gruden has a much better handle on things than Zorn did.

[Countertrey]

Same, man. These were Keim's notes on Minnifield from OTAs if you missed it:

Corner Chase Minnifield will get into a lot of tussles this camp – a safe prediction. He nearly got into one with tight end Niles Paul Thursday. Minnifield is physical and feisty and that will never please those running routes in practice. This time, Minnifield was grabbing Paul on the entire route and at the end Paul shoved him. Minnifield bounced up and shoved him back. It didn’t escalate.

Minnifield did pick off a Kirk Cousins pass in zone coverage. Minnifield sank deep on the route and grabbed a pass that was intended for Williams.

He's two years off the injury now, right?

That's great... looks like he's got his old man's attitude... that kind of tenacity will crawl into a receiver's head... and force mistakes. I like it. Haslett loves that stuff, too... There will be more of those events... especially with receivers who are on the edge of a visit from the Turk... I have a feeling that Minnefield will be a very pleasant surprise. I LOVE aggressive, physical DB's...

[SKINS#1]

Same, man. These were Keim's notes on Minnifield from OTAs if you missed it:

Corner Chase Minnifield will get into a lot of tussles this camp – a safe prediction. He nearly got into one with tight end Niles Paul Thursday. Minnifield is physical and feisty and that will never please those running routes in practice. This time, Minnifield was grabbing Paul on the entire route and at the end Paul shoved him. Minnifield bounced up and shoved him back. It didn’t escalate.

Minnifield did pick off a Kirk Cousins pass in zone coverage. Minnifield sank deep on the route and grabbed a pass that was intended for Williams.

He's two years off the injury now, right?

That's great... looks like he's got his old man's attitude... that kind of tenacity will crawl into a receiver's head... and force mistakes. I like it. Haslett loves that stuff, too... There will be more of those events... especially with receivers who are on the edge of a visit from the Turk... I have a feeling that Minnefield will be a very pleasant surprise. I LOVE aggressive, physical DB's...

This type of attitude is exactly what the Redskins have been missing - not only talk trash but be physical with the receivers, I love it. Go Minnifield

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Btw it must suck to google yourself when you are LeRib. The first result I was getting is "josh leribeus out of shape".

Yeah... perhaps...


on the other hand, he did it to himself. Can't feel bad for him.
Hope he steps it up.

I'm REALLY pulling for Minnefield... if he can turn out to his potential, we could be looking at one deep set of quality DB's... who'da thunk it?

Same, man. These were Keim's notes on Minnifield from OTAs if you missed it:

Corner Chase Minnifield will get into a lot of tussles this camp – a safe prediction. He nearly got into one with tight end Niles Paul Thursday. Minnifield is physical and feisty and that will never please those running routes in practice. This time, Minnifield was grabbing Paul on the entire route and at the end Paul shoved him. Minnifield bounced up and shoved him back. It didn’t escalate.

Minnifield did pick off a Kirk Cousins pass in zone coverage. Minnifield sank deep on the route and grabbed a pass that was intended for Williams.

He's two years off the injury now, right?

Keep em coming Riggo! Ive missed them all!!
I want more of that stuff right there!
I too am (still) pulling for Chase, he's had a chip on his shoulder since he fell to us as an Udfa if I recall. He wants to show the other 31 teams hat they passed up- well here here let's show em!

[DarthMonk]

It looks to me like there is some good stuff happening at OTAs right now. Just the fact that we have guys COMPETING for those safety positions kind of blows my mind.

Totally. Not just at safety, but all DBs, along the lines and at MLB. It's refreshing that there's competition to see who's BEST, where we've previously had competition to see who is "good enough" to hold down the spot till the offseason.

As a first year HC, I feel like Gruden has a much better handle on things than Zorn did.

Plus, Gruden has a playbook. I'm honestly not sure Zorn did when he took the job. I'm pretty sure he no audibles and the play calls in the huddle had no protections.

[Neo]

Same, man. These were Keim's notes on Minnifield from OTAs if you missed it:

Corner Chase Minnifield will get into a lot of tussles this camp – a safe prediction. He nearly got into one with tight end Niles Paul Thursday. Minnifield is physical and feisty and that will never please those running routes in practice. This time, Minnifield was grabbing Paul on the entire route and at the end Paul shoved him. Minnifield bounced up and shoved him back. It didn’t escalate.

Minnifield did pick off a Kirk Cousins pass in zone coverage. Minnifield sank deep on the route and grabbed a pass that was intended for Williams.

He's two years off the injury now, right?

That's great... looks like he's got his old man's attitude... that kind of tenacity will crawl into a receiver's head... and force mistakes. I like it. Haslett loves that stuff, too... There will be more of those events... especially with receivers who are on the edge of a visit from the Turk... I have a feeling that Minnefield will be a very pleasant surprise. I LOVE aggressive, physical DB's...

From what I've been reading, we have a few feisty little DBs on the roster. I love it! Hoping that DHall is encouraging more of it out of them; he's done a good job of helping keep the team together. Now its just a matter of making the entire defense a bunch of nasty little shi!ts Kinda like how DHall is with Dez...just make the opposition so crazy, they're rendered useless

I'm really pulling for Minnifield; I still think he's one of the better DB sleepers.

[riggofan]

I don't know who SON OF WASHINGTON is on Twitter, but some great comments from today's open practice. Just a couple you guys might be interested in:

BOLD Statement: Keenan Robinson has the best coverage skills of any redskins ILB since Antonio Pierce #HTTR impressed

Raheem Morris is loving what he is seeing from Bashaud Breeland. He's jumping up and down lol #HTTR gotta love Raheem

Ben Kotwica (ST coach) is a BOSS out there. Really commanding presence - putting people in their place

Morgan Moses taking snaps with first team. So is Adam Gettis

Robert Malone is going to win the punter competition - even his bad punts look good

This is interesting Kedrick Golston seeing time on the DL in various positions. Moving him around

Some RB news...Seastrunk NOT getting snaps as the 3rd down back. It's Helu and Royster

https://twitter.com/SonofWashington

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Good stuff there!!

That last bit about the RBs shouldn't surprise anyone. It's very rare that a rookie RB comes in and challenges third year vets in Camp right out the gates. He should develop as camp progresses but most likely will be a practice squad stash in case of injury. I'm kinda surprised at the comment tho- has he already surpassed Jawan Jameson and Chris Thompson? That'd be pretty telling if he is already the fourth guy on the depth chart.

[DarthMonk]

Robert Griffin III - QB - Redskins

Reporting from Redskins OTAs, USA Today's Jim Corbett says Robert Griffin III "looks like a different QB."

Griffin tried to rush back too soon from his knee reconstruction last season, resulting in a nightmarish encore to his jaw-dropping rookie campaign. This year, Griffin will be nearly 20 months removed from his tear by the time Week 1 rolls around. He also has a passer-friendly head coach in Jay Gruden and an explosive new toy in DeSean Jackson. Griffin appears "effortless in his drops and throwing mechanics without that ball and chain knee brace," according to Corbett. RG3 is an excellent bet to make a smashing comeback.

Source: Jim Corbett on Twitter Jun 4 - 11:48 AM

[yupchagee]

Good stuff there!!

That last bit about the RBs shouldn't surprise anyone. It's very rare that a rookie RB comes in and challenges third year vets in Camp right out the gates. He should develop as camp progresses but most likely will be a practice squad stash in case of injury. I'm kinda surprised at the comment tho- has he already surpassed Jawan Jameson and Chris Thompson? That'd be pretty telling if he is already the fourth guy on the depth chart.

It's easy to be ahead of Jamison. He's been released.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

But he was a Shaany diamond in the rough!
Shame tho.. being Irish (albeit 2 years sober) I have an affinity for that name... Mmm gingerbread cookie whiskey!

[riggofan]

Good item out of OTAs:

For the second week in a row, Gruden indicated that you’d be a fool to bet against Keenan Robinson starting at inside linebacker Week 1 in Houston. “He’s a lot further ahead than we anticipated, stamina-wise, mentally. He’s doing a great job, obviously, but the linebacker position is hard to judge in shorts. But it is exciting to see him run around, he’s a very fluid athlete. Like I said last week, I think he’s active in the passing game and his run fits have been outstanding.”

[riggofan]

This one from the WashPost about Bashaud Breeland is good news too:

Later, Breeland got the best of the speedy Robinson, running with him stride for stride downfield on a deep route and swatting away what would’ve been a touchdown. Interestingly, Breeland fell in the draft because of a poor 40-yard-dash time (4.62 seconds). But he appears much faster than that. There’s an obvious difference between clock fast and football fast, because Breeland hasn’t gotten dusted when it comes to flat-out running. He had told coaches that he didn’t feel like he had learned the proper technique required to run an impressive 40-yard-dash. But coaches are very happy with what they’ve seen so far, and they believe that this time next year, he could be a difference-maker.

Time will tell. But with guys like Robinson and Breeland, its good to see we might be able to address some of those question marks on the team with our own home grown guys and draft picks.

[yupchagee]

This one from the WashPost about Bashaud Breeland is good news too:

Later, Breeland got the best of the speedy Robinson, running with him stride for stride downfield on a deep route and swatting away what would’ve been a touchdown. Interestingly, Breeland fell in the draft because of a poor 40-yard-dash time (4.62 seconds). But he appears much faster than that. There’s an obvious difference between clock fast and football fast, because Breeland hasn’t gotten dusted when it comes to flat-out running. He had told coaches that he didn’t feel like he had learned the proper technique required to run an impressive 40-yard-dash. But coaches are very happy with what they’ve seen so far, and they believe that this time next year, he could be a difference-maker.

Time will tell. But with guys like Robinson and Breeland, its good to see we might be able to address some of those question marks on the team with our own home grown guys and draft picks.

Good with regards to Breeland, bad with regards to Robinson.

[Deadskins]

This one from the WashPost about Bashaud Breeland is good news too:

Later, Breeland got the best of the speedy Robinson, running with him stride for stride downfield on a deep route and swatting away what would’ve been a touchdown. Interestingly, Breeland fell in the draft because of a poor 40-yard-dash time (4.62 seconds). But he appears much faster than that. There’s an obvious difference between clock fast and football fast, because Breeland hasn’t gotten dusted when it comes to flat-out running. He had told coaches that he didn’t feel like he had learned the proper technique required to run an impressive 40-yard-dash. But coaches are very happy with what they’ve seen so far, and they believe that this time next year, he could be a difference-maker.

Time will tell. But with guys like Robinson and Breeland, its good to see we might be able to address some of those question marks on the team with our own home grown guys and draft picks.

Good with regards to Breeland, bad with regards to Robinson.

I think riggofan meant Keenan, not Aldrick. But as for Aldrick, just because Breeland Was able to run with him doesn't really say anything negative about him, just that Breeland is also fast.

[yupchagee]

You da man Riggo!! I see RGiii on sportscenter, then it's the ol name change debate on here smfh- thank you sir!

I know it man. I just need to tune out the name change stuff. Whatever is going to happen will happen.

It looks to me like there is some good stuff happening at OTAs right now. Just the fact that we have guys COMPETING for those safety positions kind of blows my mind.

Speaking of safeties, did anybody notice news on two of the biggest free agents that everybody was p***ed off we didn't sign? TJ Ward arrested in Denver for a strip club incident. And Jairus Byrd signed his big contract then immediately opted to have back surgery. LMFAO. Obviously not saying those guys won't be good for those teams, but still... What would fans be saying right now if we'd blown our whole FA wad on Byrd and he misses OTAs for back surgery? That's crazy.

Players who were returning kicks last week: Lache Seastrunk, Chris Thompson, Nick Williams, Andre Roberts and Rashad Ross. What do you think?

Two players I'm really curious about headed into training camp: LeRib and Minnifield. I don't know, just both guys I would still like to see prove themselves and earn a roster spot. Sounds like Minnifield is playing with a chip on his shoulder so far.

Btw it must suck to google yourself when you are LeRib. The first result I was getting is "josh leribeus out of shape".

He may be too lazy to google himself

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Tell me something good?!?!?