WEx: Keim: Redskins Practice Report: Aug. 2

[Califan007 The Constipated]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/redskins-practice-report-aug.-2/article/2503909

2. Maurice Hurt returned to left guard Thursday, a position where he looks more comfortable. Gets in a lower stance. That’s not to say he didn’t have some issues there. Perry Riley got inside him on an inside zone run by Evan Royster and would have blown up the play. Another time Hurt tried to reach London Fletcher on a block, but couldn’t Fletcher would have made the tackle on a Robert Griffin III run. And shortly thereafter Chris Baker got into his pads and stood him up, though Hurt eventually held his ground.

3. Rookie Adam Gettis will need to get stronger. Gets stood up too easily right now; once, he was nearly bent over backwards by my guy Baker. Gettis seems to move well so getting him on the run will be better in the long run. But in a straight one-on-one pass-protection set he has work to do.

4. Don’t be surprised if linebacker Brian Orakpo plays more with his hands in the dirt as a pass rusher this season. He’s done that several times when the Redskins have used their nickel defense. He’s done this on both the left and right sides of the line. There have been some coaches here in the past who think he is a much better rusher when he’s in a four-point stance

[...]7. There’s a way that Brandon Banks can help at receiver. He’s tough to jam at the line and that was evident on his long catch from Rex Grossman (off a bootleg, throwing back to a post). Banks avoided Kevin Barnes at the line. As Barnes settled into a zone, Banks sped past safety Tanard Jackson for the grab. There’s the quickness and speed; that’s good.

8. But the height could be an issue on certain routes. Banks is a small target, not just in terms of height but also his size and defenders can run through him for picks. It can be hard for a quarterback to hit a smaller target and he must create a little more separation than most. Just not a lot of margin for error. For example, Griffin threw a slant to 6-foot-2 Leonard Hankerson in the red zone. The pass was high and wide; Hankerson reached out to make the catch. Griffin threw a similar pass to Banks and Barnes intercepted.

9. By the way, Barnes also broke up a pass along the sidelines intended for Anthony Armstrong (the play in which Armstrong hurt his shoulder). Coach Mike Shanahan likes Barnes playing outside (he struggled mightily in the slot last year).

“Kevin has got great speed. He’s got length and I really felt like his best position is being the outside where he can concentrate on just jamming people,” Shanahan said. “We had him inside last year playing the nickel position. It didn’t work out as well as I would have liked. I thought if he concentrated just on the outside receivers, his jams, and his off-coverage that he would improve. I like what I’ve seen so far.”

10. The replacement officials attended practice Thursday. Yes, there was one issue. Grossman connected with tight end Chris Cooley running down the left side (a step ahead of rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson) and made a lunging grab right in front of the defense’s sideline. Naturally they disputed the call by the official. “They need to settle this damn lockout, that’s a disgrace,” corner DeAngelo Hall shouted.

11. I know Cooley remains a hot topic and Shanahan reiterated Thursday that he’s had no setbacks with his knee or anything else. Talked to one longtime coach who said he would be surprised if Cooley made it through the first week without getting hurt. That’s why he thought Cooley was done. But he has made it through the first week. Cooley is making catches, but he’s also not going to be a big threat after the grab anymore. Can the Redskins live with that?

12. Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins had an unlucky interception, having a pass bounce off Aldrick Robinson’s hands and into safety Madieu Williams’. Doug Worthington later batted one of Cousins’ passes down at the line. Worthington looks solid, but is not a flashy player. Did like one throw he made to Dezmon Briscoe, throwing it low to him with corner Travon Bellamy coming over the top. A savvy throw. It’s also one of the few times I’ve seen Briscoe on the receiving end. He hasn’t really jumped out yet.

[bird_1972]

Thanks for posting.

So much easier than tracking tweets to find out what's going on in practice.

(although I can't help but look at those as well)

[Dark Acre]

Gut says Gettis goes on the p-squad. Not a bad thing for him. He can chow down on a whole lotta wholesome seafood with LeRib, learn the game from practice and film study, and come back next year ready to challenge for a job.

[bird_1972]

Gut says Gettis goes on the p-squad. Not a bad thing for him. He can chow down on a whole lotta wholesome seafood with LeRib, learn the game from practice and film study, and come back next year ready to challenge for a job.

LeRib on the squad though, right?

[roanoker]

Good overview of the day's events. Thanks CF007. #1 of the article gives me some concern not because of today's play but the weight.

1. New OT Jordan Black got his first work (though the Redskins were only in shells Thursday) with the second offense. He looked about how you’d expect a guy who: hasn’t played in a year, lost a lot of weight from his playing days and needs to add 15 more pounds. Would you be surprised to learn that he struggled preventing Chris Wilson from turning the corner against him? Well, you shouldn’t have been. He needs a lot of time.

[Dark Acre]

LeRib on the squad though, right?

Heck no. Rib may even challenge for a starting spot. You put the Ribster on the PS and he goes bye-bye like a Star Trek red shirt on an away mission.

[KCClybun]

Here's the RG3 report.

Robert Griffin III holds the ball too long. That’s the one big negative on Griffin’s game through one week of training camp. You have to give him credit for one thing: he’s not just looking to take off and run.

But there’s no doubt he’ll need to speed it up when the games begin. Yes, I got my stopwatch out again and there are times when he’s holding the ball for nearly 3.75 seconds before looking to run. That’s a long time in an NFL pocket.

At times he does not have the same sense of urgency on his drop-backs as the other quarterbacks. Because he’s off limits to us six days a week, we won’t have a chance to ask him about it again until Monday.

Is it a concern? Maybe not a big one … yet. Some aren’t sure if it ever will be.

“The first step is having a good feel for the timing of the routes and where to go with the ball against certain coverages,” quarterback Rex Grossman said. “His natural football instincts will take care of the things we’re seeing. That’s more important than getting the ball out of his hands quickly.

“Once the lights come on and he’s live, I think you’ll see him get rid of the ball and I’m sure sometimes you’ll see him not and get out of it and make a 40-yard run.”

Certainly there will be times when Griffin turns around to read the defense after a fake and quickly goes through his progression and then takes off. What we can’t see right now, or at least get the best feel, is for when he will take off. So sometimes Griffin will linger in the pocket in practice where in a game he might take off sooner. One of the biggest things he must do now is go through his progressions to learn the offense.

Occasionally they’ll abandon a play after four seconds when, in a game, Griffin might be able to keep it alive. He did keep one play alive for nearly 4.5 seconds when he slid left and got outside the pocket. (Sometimes the play is stopped because the defense would have drilled him).

Click here for the rest.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

WOOT! Doug Worthington mention.

This makes me happy.

Hail.

[skinny21]

Gut says Gettis goes on the p-squad. Not a bad thing for him. He can chow down on a whole lotta wholesome seafood with LeRib, learn the game from practice and film study, and come back next year ready to challenge for a job.

I'm guessing 6 G/Cs on the roster, not sure who would bump Gettis out of that 6th spot.

A few things:

Saw Jackson was playing for Kerrigan. I think practicing against Griffin will help Rob Jackson a bunch. I really liked his pass-rushing skills, but his diagnosing running plays was not good. He almost looked like he was getting caught up looking for the sack. Defending all the misdirection we're running should help that I'd think.

Otherwise, a typical up-and-down day for Griffin; off target on intermediate routes (one question of his game by some I talked to before the draft)

Not that I'm overly concerned, but I hope Griffin doesn't struggle with intermediate throws, 'cause those seemed like our bread and butter last year. Of course, maybe the deep throws become our staple instead.

[KCClybun]

Not that I'm overly concerned, but I hope Griffin doesn't struggle with intermediate throws, 'cause those seemed like our bread and butter last year. Of course, maybe the deep throws become our staple instead.

Intermediate throws over the middle were Rex's best throws, which is why we threw them a lot. He does need to get better, but it's sort of expected. There's a lot more need to anticipate on the intermediate routes, and that's always a problem with people coming out of a spread offense. In the spread in college, you tend to wait until you see the guy open and then throw it, rather than drop back, and throw a pass while a receiver before or just when your receiver is coming out of his break. Takes a while to get the timing down when you're coming from a catch-rock-and-throw type of offense.

Typical rookie stuff.

[blitzpackage]

Heck no. Rib may even challenge for a starting spot. You put the Ribster on the PS and he goes bye-bye like a Star Trek red shirt on an away mission.

Gotta give props on this comment. This was hilarious and I totally agree.

[terpskins10]

Really liking what I'm hearing about Baker. Cofield is a good player, but a true monster at NT who can eat space is just what we need.

[skinny21]

Really liking what I'm hearing about Baker. Cofield is a good player, but a true monster at NT who can eat space is just what we need.

Yeah, Baker sounds like he's having a nice camp. Given that he's playing both DE and NT, I wonder which spot he's more likely to take... backup NT or that 4th(or 5th) DE spot.

Man, there are some good battles going on. I love that coaches are going to have a real tough time making the final cuts.

[pjfootballer]

You know the one thing that concerns me? Not worried, but concerns? When Griffin goes through his progressions, will be be hesitant to take off running because he doesn't want people to say, "oh, just as we thought, as soon as he can, he's looking to run with it. He's not a pure passer." I mean, I know he probably isn't thinking that, but people were on Vick for years to not just "run" every chance you get and when Vick does sit in the pocket longer than he has to, he struggles. I was just thinking this based on the observations that Griff is holding the ball in the pocket too long.

[Skins4Life6388]

You know the one thing that concerns me? Not worried, but concerns? When Griffin goes through his progressions, will be be hesitant to take off running because he doesn't want people to say, "oh, just as we thought, as soon as he can, he's looking to run with it. He's not a pure passer." I mean, I know he probably isn't thinking that, but people were on Vick for years to not just "run" every chance you get and when Vick does sit in the pocket longer than he has to, he struggles. I was just thinking this based on the observations that Griff is holding the ball in the pocket too long.

I don't think in real games, against live pressure that RGIII is going to be concerned about his perception if he scrambles for a huge 1st down. I would assume (although I obviously don't know much) that he's holding the ball for a while in camp to assist himself in reading the D. Just my 2 cents.

[DogofWar1]

Keim has been great so far this offseason.

Hurt’s got a ways to go. We need Lich back in the starting lineup, or we need someone to take center so Monty can slide over.

On Orakpo, him getting into a 4 point stance more is good, I guess. I’d like to see his hands chopping opponents arms and doing swim maneuvers more than see them in the dirt, but it sounds like we might get both, so hey, solid.

I don’t know what to think of Banks anymore. I’m glad I’m not Shanahan, because it seems like our WR situation might be a little tough to finalize.

I like what I’m hearing about Barnes. If our nickel package is Wilson and Barnes on the outside with Hall sliding inside, that probably wouldn’t be too bad. I hope this step forward for Barnes is real.

Haven’t heard much on Tanard Jackson, which is kind of weird, maybe a little disappointing. Guy was a starting safety, so I expected more of him I guess. He’s still got time though, so hopefully he gets up to 100% and takes the starting job. I think, playing their best, Meriweather and Jackson could be a solid duo.

Baker sounds like he’s coming along nicely. Solid #2 to Cofield at the moment, and maybe more later.

Did Keim’s notes from another article get posted? I didn’t see a link, so I’ll throw it in. Keim's Redskins Notes, August 2 Less juicy stuff, but the Trent Williams notes got me excited. Orakpo was no slouch last year, and reports seem to be that he’s gotten a little more technically proficient in the offseason, so Trent holding him off almost every time is very good news. If he’s shutting down elite pass rushers all season then maybe the other line problems won’t be as major as they initially appear.

[I_Bleed_B&G]

They are about to talk about RG3 on First Take

[Skins4Life6388]

They are about to talk about RG3 on First Take

For those of us at work, would you mind paraphrasing what the two idiots have to say.

[Maximus71]

They said there is a real concern for the Redskins/RG3 since the OL is not up to par... They made a comment about silver back but I dont think they are up to date on how great he has been playing. The bottom line is RG3 holding the ball too long is a concern etc.. Steve A also said that he doesnt trust Shanny or his offense.

[pjfootballer]

Well I don't trust Stephen A. to put together a sentence without yelling.

[I_Bleed_B&G]

The subject was about reports coming from camp that RGIII is holding the ball too long.

Stephen A - He said we should be worried about it. Said he really isn't worried about RG3 because he thinks he can change that with experience but that he doesn't trust the offensive line and Shanahan. Says o-line is very suspect and RG3 doesn't have any help. He also said he wasn't sure how he would hold up with his body frame getting hit with weak o-line

Skip - Says he loves RG3 and he isn't worried at all. Says its the first week of training camp and they haven't even played a preseason game yet. He says Luck may be more NFL ready, but he thinks RG3 will be better in the long run. Said that Trent Williams is a beast and that the o-line is decent but they will get the job done. Skip said the only thing he may be worried about is RG3 has a ton of commercials and may be overexposed that it may build too much pressure on RG3.

Hopefully that helps

[Skins4Life6388]

Thanks for the updates, guys!

[ChampSkinsFan]

Hopefully RG3 holding the ball too long isn't as bad as everyone is making it seem

[Warhead36]

It's one week into camp. Calm the f down.

[GhostofAlvinWalton]

Haven’t heard much on Tanard Jackson, which is kind of weird, maybe a little disappointing. Guy was a starting safety, so I expected more of him I guess. He’s still got time though, so hopefully he gets up to 100% and takes the starting job. I think, playing their best, Meriweather and Jackson could be a solid duo.

Yesterday was Jackson's first or second pratice. He was just cleared to practice. So, the only thing you could have heard about him is if he was sleeping during meetings, which would have been disappointing. So, you shouldn't expect more (yet) and don't feel disappointed (yet).