themurf Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 (photo by Brian Murphy) Thankfully, more times than not, I am in attendance each and every week when the Washington Redskins are in action. I say thankfully because I’ve reached a point where I can barely stomach the majority of the announcers who call NFL games, and let’s be honest – when your favorite team is 6-10, you’re not exactly getting the cream of the crop every Sunday. At any rate, I was on the sidelines at FedEx Field as the Redskins were in the process of losing 17-14 to the New York Giants this past weekend when I got a text message from my brother. He was enjoying the game from the comfort of his home when the announcers said something that caught his attention. Apparently, in the days leading up to the regular season finale, Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told them that, for his money, defensive lineman Adam Carriker was his strongest player. And of course, if you’re an announcer who is given this information during your game preparation, you’re going to share that during the course of the broadcast. Well, as someone who has covered the hell out of the 2010 Redskins, that statement was interesting to me because Carriker has a friendly rivalry with veteran defensive end Phillip Daniels. They both play the same position and they both really do get along, but that’s not stopping either of them from claiming that they are the strongest player on the roster. Armed with this information, I sought out both Daniels and Carriker in the post-game locker room to get their take on Haslett’s bold declaration. “That don’t mean a thing,” Daniels said with a laugh. “Adam’s his boy, you know. He drafted him in St. Louis and so he’s gonna defend him every way he can. Coach Haslett has never been in the weight room to see us lift. Everybody is gonna take his word for it, but they need to come to Monster Garage gym and get the real deal.” Now, I’ve been to Monster Garage and have seen firsthand the type of powerlifting training you’re referring to. It wasn’t something I had ever experienced before, so I’m curious, can Carriker do what you do? “I don’t think he can do some of the stuff I do, as far as the deadlifts and squats,” Daniels said. “He said the most he’s going to put on his back is 500 lbs., so we’ll never know. Me, I push the limits. I plan on lifting 800 lbs. this offseason. That’s my goal.” Having heard what Daniels had to say on the subject, it was now time to give Carriker his fair chance to rebuttal. “He just needs to come to grips with reality,” Carriker said with a laugh. “I mean, he’s very strong in his own right. I’ll give him that. I see him working hard, but he’s like the old lion who doesn’t want to give up the reigns to the pride. The young lion is coming whether you’re ready or not, and he just needs to come to grips with it.” Let me reiterate that these two guys are very close. Even as they were trash talking, both of these men were laughing and enjoying the chance to talk about something other than controversies involving disgruntled defensive linemen and/or benched quarterbacks. The truth is, they enjoy hanging out and really push each other – both on the field and in the weight room. Strength and conditioning coach Ray Wright told me earlier this season that Daniels and Carriker are the two strongest guys, but no one is in a hurry to declare either the undisputed winner. And since I had the chance to chat with them both one final time before the offseason, I took the opportunity to ask them each a few extra questions about topics other than their friendly rivalry. One of the things that stood out to me most the final month of the season was just how often Carriker began to make his presence known in the backfield. I was curious what had changed as the season went on, so I asked the Nebraska standout about it. Click here for the full article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brotherz Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Great piece as always Murph. I know roster spots are precious but I could actually be convinced to keep Phil another year. Not as a guy who would be playing a ton of snaps but like he said here, short yardage, goal line and spot duty. I think his real value is his professionalism and work ethic. He should bring any rookies to Monster Garage with him in the off-season. The guy is a true professional and I think that kind of example in the locker room has value. If we were brimming with young talent and we had to push big phil out, ok, but that isn't likely happening by next year anyway. Carriker has started to grown on me too. Not sure if he is the answer or not but it sure would be great if we could avoid having to replace his spot as we already have to replace Kemo, Holliday, Mcintosh, Rogers, and Moore on this defense. If Carriker could be a legit 3-4 DE, we would ony have to get one more DE and we could focus on OLB and FS. ---------- Post added January-4th-2011 at 08:11 AM ---------- Yea, I haven't posted in a while and just realized its about time to lose my sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Another good one murf, you have done a stellar job this season looking at aspects of the team that don't get noticed often. I do like that Daniels and Carriker have this friendly rivalry thing going, that it even exists at all is an indication of the mentality in the lockerroom, a type of camaraderie that we haven't see much of in recent years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMOSS89 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Great job, as always murf! Check your PM's, I sent a little question to ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris 44 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks Murf, great article! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommDownMan Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I remember seeing that Anthony Bryant benched 505 and squated 775lbs at Alabama. Is he in the conversation with those two guys? Seems like he could give them a pretty solid challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Good article. Didnt know those guys were that close...Anyways, I like PD93. Another one of those real stand up guys! However, I just dont see him in the plans for next season. Dude is going to be 38. I just wish he was about 10 years younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Good article. Didnt know those guys were that close...Anyways, I like PD93. Another one of those real stand up guys! However, I just dont see him in the plans for next season. Dude is going to be 38. I just wish he was about 10 years younger. Unless the Redskins are planning on releasing/trading every single person over the age of 25, then there's room on the 53-man roster for a few key locker room leaders. Phillip Daniels can definitely continue to fill that role for another season or two, and honestly, he takes such good care of himself, he's probably in better shape at 37 then most guys who are 10 years younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Unless the Redskins are planning on releasing/trading every single person over the age of 25, then there's room on the 53-man roster for a few key locker room leaders. Phillip Daniels can definitely continue to fill that role for another season or two, and honestly, he takes such good care of himself, he's probably in better shape at 37 then most guys who are 10 years younger. yeah, but can you count on him at this stage of his career to remain healthy? Thats the question. And based on what we've seen is that he's been injury prone for the last few years. Which means that his body may be breaking down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PortisBetts Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 There is no reason not to bring back a guy like Phillip Daniels. He keeps playing well against the run and he can show the young guys the ropes of the offseason and be a leader. One of my favorite skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justice98 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 There is no reason not to bring back a guy like Phillip Daniels. He keeps playing well against the run and he can show the young guys the ropes of the offseason and be a leader. One of my favorite skins. So that 26th ranked run defense wasn't when he was in the game, I presume. But I'm half kidding, I actually like Daniels too, but there's plenty of veterans on this team to teach the young guys. Locker room leaders are overrated sometimes. They're important when you're good. When you stink, doesn't make much difference, you're still gonna stink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 yeah, but can you count on him at this stage of his career to remain healthy? Thats the question. And based on what we've seen is that he's been injury prone for the last few years. Which means that his body may be breaking down. Um ... what? I'm pretty sure you're thinking of someone else. He suffered a groin injury in Dallas on a goal-line stand that caused him to miss the last two games of 2010. Not counting the 2008 season in which he suffered a fluky injury on the first day of training camp, Daniels has played in 77 out of a possible 80 regular-season games since 2005. Not exactly someone who I'd call injury prone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Unless the Redskins are planning on releasing/trading every single person over the age of 25, then there's room on the 53-man roster for a few key locker room leaders. Phillip Daniels can definitely continue to fill that role for another season or two, and honestly, he takes such good care of himself, he's probably in better shape at 37 then most guys who are 10 years younger. I'd be OK with that...I really like Daniels. Maybe he can let some of his leadership rub off on Carriker over the next year too since they are close. I'm warming up to Adam these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartacus87 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 If you think about it, Daniels has probably been the safest jersey choice out of any our recent players. I'm fairly convinced that he will play until about 2023. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins_Fan82 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Great article, really enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Daniels is just about as good a back-up 3-4 DE you could ask for in the NFL. Guy doesn't get pushed off the ball, nor does he blow any assignments. Furthermore, he's good for a nice run-stop on 3rd and short or 4th and short here and there. So, yeah, I'd love to have him back. I really don't give a crap how that affects our "average age" stat that everyone thinks they're so smart quoting all the time. As for Carriker, all I can say about what he's done the last few weeks is that I can't wait until next season, he's going to be one of the best 3-4 DE's in the league. Guy has simply been unblockable now that he's totally comfortable with his gap assignments and knows he won't mess up. Oh, and murf, awesome work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icbmayday Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I hope Adam continues to work hard he can flourish in this defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Um ... what? I'm pretty sure you're thinking of someone else.He suffered a groin injury in Dallas on a goal-line stand that caused him to miss the last two games of 2010. Not counting the 2008 season in which he suffered a fluky injury on the first day of training camp, Daniels has played in 77 out of a possible 80 regular-season games since 2005. Not exactly someone who I'd call injury prone. I thought some where btwn 07-09 he also had a torn biceps injury as well. Perhaps i was a bit rash in my assumption, I'll admit that. However, i will maintain that we need to move on with players who can contribute to the long-term building of the program (w/ maybe Fletch as the exception). BTW, isn't his (PD) contract up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I thought I read earlier in the year that PD was mentoring Jeremy Jarmon. if this is true, I hope that some of PD's work ethic, heart, and leadership ability rubs off on him. I remember when we took Jarmon in the supplimental for a 3rd rd pick. If he had waited till the next years draft he was estimated to be a mid/low first rd, high second rd pick. Im excited to see him get better and produce on the field. I think if Jarmon can follow this path, and with the mix of players that have shown heart and work ethic like Lorenzo Alexander, Orakpo, Chris Wilson, our defense stands to be vastly improved. We will also have players like Anthony Bryant and Perry Riley stepping up into bigger roles. Mix all that with players like Carriker and Barnes becoming more comfortable in their positions, and there is a lot to look forward to. Continuity. Haslett is coming back, and he is molding the defense into what he wants it to be. He is slowely putting pieces into place, as evidenced with Bryant. No turnover in personnel = continuity and another season in the same scheme. Awesome. I also like how Phillip Buchanon has played. I think if we don't retain Carlos Rogers, that Phillip Buchanon can fill that gap, and Kevin barnes can fill Buchanons gap. We then coach Macho Harris up to take Barnes spot. Anyways, I am digressing. My bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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