themurf Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (photo by Brian Murphy) Whenever I’ve done these power rankings in the past, the formula has always remained the same. I start by listing the top 10 members of the Washington Redskins who have risen to the challenge and made a strong impression, and then wrap things up with five players who need to step up their game. Unfortunately, that’s not realistic at the moment. A once-promising season has completely spiraled out of control over the last month and the Redskins are clearly getting worse – not better – with each passing game. I’ve got a better chance of becoming a big-time Hollywood actor than identifying 10 Redskins players worthy of praise during this dreadful four-game losing streak, so we’ll flip the script and name five players who are getting it done and 10 guys who need to take a serious look in the mirror before getting on the plane for Miami. As always, these rankings are completely subjective, biased and, ultimately, meaningless. They simply represent one person’s take on the current state of the franchise. If you see things differently and/or feel like I’m forgetting someone, that’s okay. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts on the subject. 1. London Fletcher, middle linebacker – The 36-year-old had 20 tackles against Buffalo and another 10 against San Francisco. If everyone wearing the burgundy and gold worked as hard as Fletcher, people wouldn’t still be wondering how and why this team peaked in Week 1. 2. Sav Rocca, punter – One member of the Redskins ranks statistically among the NFL’s best at his position. Too bad it’s the punter. 3. Ryan Kerrigan, outside linebacker – The rookie standout has three sacks, two forced fumbles and as many rushing touchdowns as Roy Helu and Ryan Torain combined. 4. Fred Davis, tight end – He’s the only player on his side of the ball who can even be remotely considered a weapon. That’s gotta count for something. 5. Brian Orakpo, outside linebacker – Take a look at his career stats and you’ll clearly see that Orakpo has always done well in the first half of a season. The question is – is this the year he finally puts together a memorable second half of a season? On the flip side, here are 10 players need to step up their game sooner rather than later: 10. Oshiomogho Atogwe, safety – When he’s on the field, Atogwe is a solid veteran defender. Unfortunately, when he’s not on the field, Reed Doughty is. That’s not good for anyone involved. 9. Trent Williams, left tackle – He’s been in and out of the lineup due to various injuries this season and he’s been responsible for multiple ill-advised penalties for losing his temper. Not what fans want to see out of someone who is supposed to anchor the offense. 8. Josh Wilson, cornerback – You’re probably not having a great season when people are openly wondering if letting Carlos “Stone Hands” Rogers go was a mistake. I’m just sayin’. 7. Jammal Brown, right tackle – When the Buffalo Bills racked up 10 sacks against the Redskins, I actually joked that Brown should be credited with at least two of them. 6. Ryan Torain, running back – The good news: Torain has remained healthy. The bad news: he’s shown absolutely nothing to suggest he should be a focal point in Washington’s mediocre offense. In his last four games, Torain has 21 carries for 33 yards (1.5 yards per carry). In the two games since Tim Hightower was lost for the season due to a knee injury, Torain has just nine carries for 16 yards. That’s not making the most out of an opportunity. Click here for the full article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildbunny Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Nice article as always Murf. But I would have had Gano instead of Orakpo at 5. 12 for 16, with a 59 that is new franchise record. 3 out of 4 failed are blocked FG that are barely his fault. And I'm not talking about his Kick off ability. He really deserve a place as well in here, as with Rocca. Perhaps I'm feeling this way just b/c we've been used to sloppy ST for years. Still, IMHO, he deserves a place in this list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Nice article as always Murf.But I would have had Gano instead of Orakpo at 5. 12 for 16, with a 59 that is new franchise record. 3 out of 4 failed are blocked FG that are barely his fault. And I'm not talking about his Kick off ability. He really deserve a place as well in here, as with Rocca. Perhaps I'm feeling this way just b/c we've been used to sloppy ST for years. Still, IMHO, he deserves a place in this list I agree that Gano has been surprisingly strong this season, but the number of blocked field goal attempts -- whether his fault or not -- was troublesome enough to give a slight edge to Orakpo. Either way, thanks for reading and for the comment. If Gano keeps performing at this level, that means the team has one less position to worry about moving forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandymac27 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 2. Rex Grossman, quarterback – Damn you, Rex Cannon, for throwing four interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins were 3-1 and on top of the world until you decided it was more fun to throw to Eagles safety Kurt Coleman than to target your teammates.Now, all hope is lost – even though there’s still eight games left on the schedule, and ‘Skins fans are already wishing the 2011 season would hurry up and end so the front office can blow up this offense and start over from scratch. I had to LOL at this. I swear, Rex is no world beater, but my GOD did crap start to go downhill- and FAST- when he got benched. I think I'm honestly more upset over him getting benched than being a turnover machine b/c now, as you have pointed out, we are literally stuck watching Beck the rest of this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I agree, Rex turned the ball over, but at least we were scoring (or trying to score). It's like the team is scared to go across the 50 yard line and they have all been fitting with a doggie shock collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLF Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Special agreement with Josh Wilson and Ryan Torain. God awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Yeah, when Beck came in I was all smiles. But the last four games have been downright awful to watch. If Beck doesn't show improvement his week, I think the offense needs to be turned back to Grossman and he finishes the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins island connection Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Boy, if looks could kill, Davis would be on death row right now...lol ---------- Post added November-10th-2011 at 11:44 AM ---------- Even though he hasn't played "lights out", i'm still giving Josh Wilson the benefit of a doubt. From what i've seen of him thus far, at least he's trying and in somewhat of a position to defend against the receiver. With some solid coaching to guide him, i'd bet Josh has a chance to be a solid player; maybe not a perennial all-pro, but well worth hanging onto. Jammal, well, he reminds me of a fire hydrant; if you run directly into it, you're gonna have a hard time accomplishing anything, but, take 1 step to the side of it and its clear sailing to the qb. Trent evidently has been haning around D Hall too much; bone-headed plays by a player with his potential will do nothing but bring him and the team down, and he's smarter than to fall for the crap going on in the trenches. Atogwe, i'm not sold on him; he's Haslett's li'l thang who was the best looking defensive player on a crappy defensive team [Rams], which doesn't mean he was worthy of bringing in. IMO, he's been pretty quiet on the field, but then again, I need to look no further than his coach, who i'm not very impressed with at all. I'll stop here and let the other vultures feast on the remaining carcasses... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNumberOne Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I agree that Gano has been surprisingly strong this season, but the number of blocked field goal attempts -- whether his fault or not -- was troublesome enough to give a slight edge to Orakpo. Either way, thanks for reading and for the comment. If Gano keeps performing at this level, that means the team has one less position to worry about moving forward. I agree that they are troublesome, and to my eye Gano's kicks tend to be a lot more blockable than his peers' kicks - he appears to have a lower trajectory than many other kickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I find it hard to blame Rex for anything. I mean, I was mad as hell at him after the Philly game like everyone else, and he can be blamed for not practicing better decision making, but perhaps he has, and perhaps it's just not possible. It's not in his DNA. His brain tells him 'hey, you made it to a Super Bowl being who you are, being streaky'. So that's how he rolls. If Shanny benches Rex for 4 picks (plus it was his 3rd game of regression but he basically put the team at 3-2 nonetheless), then Beck should be flat out removed from Ashburn entirely for the way he's playing. It's embarrassing, it's child's play, he looks like such an amateur, and most importantly, it takes away any chance you have to win. ANY. There is NO WAY IN HELL to win with Beck. It's just not going to happen. So whether Shanny knows it, and *wink wink* wants to spend the rest of the season evaluating and get a high pick, or whether he's just too proud to go back to Rex, I'm done being mad at Rex, and I wouldn't have him on your list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffsays Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 I find it hard to blame Rex for anything. I mean, I was mad as hell at him after the Philly game like everyone else, and he can be blamed for not practicing better decision making, but perhaps he has, and perhaps it's just not possible. It's not in his DNA. His brain tells him 'hey, you made it to a Super Bowl being who you are, being streaky'. So that's how he rolls. If Shanny benches Rex for 4 picks (plus it was his 3rd game of regression but he basically put the team at 3-2 nonetheless), then Beck should be flat out removed from Ashburn entirely for the way he's playing. It's embarrassing, it's child's play, he looks like such an amateur, and most importantly, it takes away any chance you have to win. ANY. There is NO WAY IN HELL to win with Beck. It's just not going to happen. So whether Shanny knows it, and *wink wink* wants to spend the rest of the season evaluating and get a high pick, or whether he's just too proud to go back to Rex, I'm done being mad at Rex, and I wouldn't have him on your list. I agree, I don't think Rex should be that low on your list because he hasn't played in the last three games. There are others that are far more deserving, like Kevin Barnes. Nonetheless, good article murf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 it makes my stomach churn to read these sort of articles, but i can't find one thing that i disagree with... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.