CSN: REDSKINS MINICAMP PRACTICE REPORT (updateable as we go)

[Jumbo]

Since I was looking for a thread to put this in and nothing was really fitting, this can be a catch-all for misc. minicamp stories & related discussion (or not  )

 

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-redskins/redskins-minicamp-practice-report-tuesday-lively-session?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo&yptr=yahoo

 

The Redskins had the first of their two minicamp practices today under sunny skies at Redskins Park. Here are some observations from the field.

 

—Arie Kouandjio got some run with the first team at left guard. I’m still not sure if it’s a three-man competition between him, Spencer Long and Shawn Lauvao but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

—David Bruton and Bashaud Breeland were sporting gold football pants

 

—The Redskins are shifting into a variety of defensive fronts. The rules regarding coverage of practice state that I can’t go into detail on them but I think that fans will be excited to see them when the season starts.

 

—Josh Doctson participated in the walkthrough portion of practice but nothing else. Jay Gruden said that his Achilles was still ailing and although he might have been able to go they didn’t want to risk further injury.

 

—Jordan Reed also was out due to an ankle injury.

 

—Lyndon Trail is 6-7, 270 and a heck of an athlete. If he can figure out rushing the passer he could be quite an asset. He blew through the dummies in this drill; watch No. 48.

 

—Among the players working out on the far field doing injury rehab were TE Derek Carrier (knee), G Shawn Lauvao (ankle), and OLB Junior Galette (Achilles)

 

—Nobody mentions Kendall Reyes much when talking about the competition to start at right defensive end. But he has lined up with the first team there quite frequently. I would not count him out.

 

—It was supposed to take Niles Paul until training camp to finish rehab on the ankle he injured last August. But he has been participating and he seems to have no difficulty.

 

—Kirk Cousins completed a bomb to DeSean Jackson and then ran up the sideline pumping his fist and yelling, “Celebrate! You love that!” Later on at his press conference Cousins said, “We have a blast and we compete.”

 

—A little later the defense got some revenge as Bashaud Breeland picked off a Cousins pass deep over the middle. Some mocking calls of “You like that!” came from the defense. As Cousins said, just competing, all in fun.

 

—Nobody different was back returning punts. It was the regulars we’ve seen all offseason—Jamison Crowder, Rashad Ross, Will Blackmon, Dashaun Phillips, and Jarvis Turner.

 

—Cousins fired a dart to Vernon Davis over the middle. “Hell of a strike, No. 8,” shouted Jay Gruden.

 

—Rookie free agent RB Robert Kelly is getting quite a bit of work and he appears to be impressing the coaches. “I think he’s going to be a tough guy to tackle when all is said and done,” said Gruden when asked about him.

 

—A brief skirmish broke out among a few obscure rookie free agents. It was broken up quickly. The combatants, to use the term loosely, were OL’s Cody Booth and Kevin Bowenand LB Ejiro Ederaine.

 

—Chris Baker got some pass rush push up the middle and he got a hand on two Cousins passes. One he tipped and sent off target and the other he batted backwards.

 

—Ouch! Rookie wide receiver Valdez Showers landed on his shoulder after making a catch near the sideline. He didn’t get up until after trainers tended to his right shoulder. The injury was diagnosed as an AC joint sprain and Showers will be out until training camp.

 

—The play of the day was made by rookie CB Lloyd Carrington. A Nate Sudfeld pass floated into the end zone and with tight coverage on the receiver Carrington was able to cradle the ball in his right arm to make a spectacular grab.

 

 

 

more/pics/vids at link

[Fat Stupid Loser]

I reported today, like every year, in my workout gear and my replica helmet. They said I couldn't try out this year, again. But they have my number.

[CTskin]

—The Redskins are shifting into a variety of defensive fronts. The rules regarding coverage of practice state that I can’t go into detail on them but I think that fans will be excited to see them when the season starts.

 

Damn Tandler got me so intrigued when I read that last night. One of the few positions that I've been pessimistic about is the DL, so this is welcome news... whatever it means. 

[Jumbo]

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-redskins/after-impressive-minicamp-redskins-offense-way-way-ahead-game?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo&yptr=yahoo   AFTER IMPRESSIVE MINICAMP, REDSKINS OFFENSE 'WAY, WAY AHEAD OF THE GAME'

 

Rewind the calendar one year to June 2015, and the Redskins were a bit of a mess. Robert Griffin III was the starting quarterback, the team was breaking in a new defensive coordinator and expectations for the team could hardly get lower.  

 

One year later? Things look very different. 

 

Joe Barry's defense seems settled and improving, the Redskins are coming off a 9-7 season and an NFC East title, and perhaps most importantly, starting QB Kirk Cousins looks to be at the helm of a potentially powerful offense. 

 

"The offense is way ahead of the game. Way, way ahead of the game," Redskins defensive lineman Ricky Jean François said. 

 

<edit>

 

“I understand last year we were trying to figure out where we’re going, we had the QB situation and that nonsense, but this offseason, Kirk has a chance to be the starting QB with his receivers doing the offense,” François said. “You can see it’s working out. The offensive line is clicking. Most teams would be clicking in [training] camp, but they’re doing it now.”

 

 

<edit>

“You just have a better feel for it,” Cousins said of running the Redskins offense this offseason.  

 

“You know your teammates better, you know what routes you like, what routes you don’t like, you know what Sean McVay is thinking when he calls a play, you know what Coach Cavanaugh wants from your footwork and from your reads in certain situations. There are so many different situations that come up in a football game and to be prepared for every single one of them, you have to experience them first-hand once or twice to be ready, and I think the accumulation of these experiences is really what’s helping me develop.”

 

Left tackle Trent Williams is arguably the Redskins best player, but in Cousins, he sees a quarterback with full command.

 

“He’s one of those QBs that can practically run a practice,” Williams said. “He knows everything the defense is supposed to do, everything the offense is supposed to do.”

 

In 2015, the Redskins finished tenth in the NFL in scoring offense, success built largely through Cousins and the passing game. The run game ranked 20th in the league with 1,566 yards gained, and much of that was amassed in just a few games. If the run game can improve, the Redskins offense really could deliver in 2016.

 

“We’re a talented bunch, especially when everybody is here,” Williams said. 

 

  more at link

 

 

 

 

 

“He’s one of those QBs that can practically run a practice,” Williams said. “He knows everything the defense is supposed to do, everything the offense is supposed to do.”

 

 

   

[Koolblue13]

We are going to be very ****ing good.

[BleedBNG]

 

Looks like they're practicing their Hail Mary catches 

[Aireskoi]

Top 10 Quotes: 2016 Mandatory Minicamp

 

8. Safety DeAngelo Hall: “Man, [Will Compton] looks great. I was just telling our young guys, every player in this league isn’t a high draft pick who’s kind of put on a pedestal. Sometimes you have to work your way up and Will is a living testament of that. A guy who was undrafted, came in on a workout and just kept getting better and better. He stayed in the film room, kept understanding defenses and learning and you see him out there making plays that Pro Bowlers can’t make, so the sky’s the limit for him. He looks great controlling that defense. He’s a real vocal guy; he understands what the coaches want him to do. He tries to get us in the right position and he’s playing great. He’s a very instinctive football player.”

 

 

 

http://www.redskins.com/news-and-events/article-1/Top-10-Quotes-2016-Mandatory-Minicamp-/f594084d-ba3d-4e7e-9bc0-4e0376bdf1e4?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

 

Love to hear that coming from Deangelo.

[Koolblue13]

Love me some DHall.

Man, I really want Compton to take a Kirk like leap. I like the guy, but I don't even remember the last MLB we had that was dominant.

We have some great players all around the edges. If we can have that guy step up in the middle, itd be amazing.

[HanburgerBum]

 

Looks like they're practicing their Hail Mary catches 

 

Except they are all DBs.  They should be practicing knocking down hail marys.  I don't know about you, but I would rather the Skins be in the position of defending hail marys instead of trying to complete them.

Love to hear that coming from Deangelo.

 

I really like DHall's new maturity.  He is making a nice transition to FS--I just hope he has enough left in the tank for about 3 more years.

[Koolblue13]

Don't quote pics or large blocks of text.

[HanburgerBum]

Love me some DHall.

Man, I really want Compton to take a Kirk like leap. I like the guy, but I don't even remember the last MLB we had that was dominant.

We have some great players all around the edges. If we can have that guy step up in the middle, itd be amazing.

 

You are no doubt too young to remember Redskins MLBs like Neal Olkowicz and Kurt Guivea.  If memory serves, they both were players with measurables so bad that they went undrafted.  But, both were very heady, instinctive players and tackling machines.  They both had good NFL careers.  Of course, if you go further back, there was Sam Huff.  But, he was long past his peak by the time he came to the Skins (from the Giants).

[Koolblue13]

You are no doubt too young to remember Redskins MLBs like Neal Olkowicz and Kurt Guivea. If memory serves, they both were players with measurables so bad that they went undrafted. But, both were very heady, instinctive players and tackling machines. They both had good NFL careers. Of course, if you go further back, there was Sam Huff. But, he was long past his peak by the time he came to the Skins (from the Giants).

kidding me? I'm 42, but that figure of speech was meant to imply there has to have been someone since Guivea.

[carex]

London Fletcher had numerous good years here.

[Koolblue13]

London Fletcher had numerous good years here.

we've had a few, but I meant dominating.

[BleedBNG]

Except they are all DBs.  They should be practicing knocking down hail marys.  I don't know about you, but I would rather the Skins be in the position of defending hail marys instead of trying to complete them.

 

I totally agree... practice knocking them down or it's just a game of volleyball with the opposing teams receivers ending up with it.

[Wildbunny]

You are no doubt too young to remember Redskins MLBs like Neal Olkowicz and Kurt Guivea.  If memory serves, they both were players with measurables so bad that they went undrafted.  But, both were very heady, instinctive players and tackling machines.  They both had good NFL careers.  Of course, if you go further back, there was Sam Huff.  But, he was long past his peak by the time he came to the Skins (from the Giants).

 

Like KB, I'm 42 (well, nearly), and I don't recall anyone namd Guivea or Olkowicz...

 

I do remember guys named Olkewicz and Gouveia. And even though both were good to great MLB in the Redskins D, I doubt any was really dominating. Like Singletary maybe?

Long way to go for Will Compton, but sure the guy is aiming at something like that.

 

 

Except they are all DBs.  They should be practicing knocking down hail marys.  I don't know about you, but I would rather the Skins be in the position of defending hail marys instead of trying to complete them.

 

Like KB said, you should edit your quote. Or the mods will knock you down even harder than Norman will on OBJ. And, that pic looks like a fake really. A fun to watch, but a fake nonetheless to me.

[Koolblue13]

Gouvea was pretty great and always stood out in my memory, but like I said, kinda a figure of speech. I have Sean Lee envy and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Maybe the DBs are all fighting for the ball.

[carex]

I totally agree... practice knocking them down or it's just a game of volleyball with the opposing teams receivers ending up with it.

 

haven't some teams started trailing a WR so they can catch a knock down attempt?

[goskins10]

Like KB, I'm 42 (well, nearly), and I don't recall anyone namd Guivea or Olkowicz...

 

I do remember guys named Olkewicz and Gouveia. And even though both were good to great MLB in the Redskins D, I doubt any was really dominating. Like Singletary maybe?

Long way to go for Will Compton, but sure the guy is aiming at something like that.

 

Edit....

 

 

Every year was the year they were going to replace Olke! Every year he was too slow, there was a new rookie who was more athletic, etc. etc. But all he did was just make plays, one after another after another. There were some marque names on that D. He was not one of them, but like the rest of the team he was another lunch pail guy, what Scot calls a "football player". Was he dominating? No, he was not a guy who could take the game over or necessarily make everyone around him better - which is what I would call dominating. But he did all the little things.

 

However, IMO I would say Fletcher was a dominating MLB. He could take over games and elevate others. But he was on bad teams - not his fault. But to KBs point, we have not had many MLBs that were truly dominating. But to others point, if Compton can just be one of the other lunch pail guy we have had it would be awesome.

[skinny21]

We've talked a lot about our areas of weakness on D - ILB, S, Dline (outside of Baker). If Compton (and Foster/whoever), DHall, Bruton and Reyes/Paea/RJF/Ioannidas can play at even an average level, the talent surrounding them can really elevate this D, IMO.

As of now, the only spots I'm still a little nervous about are Hall's partner at safety and Compton's partner at ILB.

Really loving the depth too, pretty much across the board.

[Koolblue13]

Let's see, how many defenses have all pros at every position? None right?

 

So, ya figure you ideally want one at the 3 main position groups, with talent and hard workers filling in the rest. Maybe some close to elite talent.

 

Baker could be the all pro this year, with Paea hopefully back from injury being the close to guy. Then we have some hard working types like Reyes, Murph, Ionnadias, Golston, RJF. That's pretty good really. "Could be special".

 

Kerrigan and Gilette are both around pro level and Smith should be pretty close. Compton and Riley/Foster are both hard workers, but far from perfect. That's pretty good too and with those three pass rushers, could be special.

 

Norman is elite and Bash is pretty close. Nacho looked good before injury and he's being beat out by Bruton, so that's a good sign. Hall should be servicable and then we've got some good young depth behind them. So, that's pretty good too and also could be special.

 

Basically, I think we're either at or have the talent to be a very good defense. Better than my spelling anyway, that's for sure.

 

It all comes down to the three units working together. Secondary gives the line an extra second. Secondary needs the line to be disruptive to make their plays. If it all works out, we're set up well. 

 

Having a pretty good defense, makes the lunchpail guys look a heck of a lot better than they are and the play of the whole elevates.

 

That's what I think will happen. We've heard the reports that the defensive formations all look a lot more creative. Compton coming in as the center piece and leader, instead of a back up, along with Hall as the dedicated FS will make a world of difference too.

[Tress Is The Way]

Bash + Norman = #NoFlyZone

[skinny21]

Regarding Bruton playing over Ihenacho, I wonder how much of it (if any) is because they know what they have in Nacho, so want to see Bruton in action. Hopefully it is (mostly? purely?) about level of play though.

[BleedBNG]

haven't some teams started trailing a WR so they can catch a knock down attempt?

 

True, the Hail Mary's are not an exact science either way... unless your a player from Green Bay 

[posse87]

Love me some DHall.

Man, I really want Compton to take a Kirk like leap. I like the guy, but I don't even remember the last MLB we had that was dominant.

We have some great players all around the edges. If we can have that guy step up in the middle, itd be amazing.

Seriously!?!? London Fletcher comes to mind

we've had a few, but I meant dominating.

Ok...just saw this. To say fletch had a few good years is crazy. He led the league in tackles for how many years? His pass coverage was great, particularly later on at his stint with the skins. He is a HOF MLB in my mind. Oh yea, and he knew the defensive calls better than the DC.