We've seen him before in D.C. In 2005, Ryan Clark tamed a fellow young safety named Sean Taylor as the Washington Redskins went on a dramatic playoff run that left them a few plays short of the NFC Championship. Now, Clark could be back in the Burgundy and Gold. Clark is a reliable nine-year veteran who has spent the last few years on the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing alongside the legendary Troy Polamalu in the secondary. However, barring a new contract with Pittsburgh, Clark is set to test the free agent market on Friday. Polamalu might get all the attention, but along with Clark, he formed one of the better safety tandems in the NFL during the past few years. Clark is rarely out of position, and his discipline in coverage, limits the big plays a passing game can make. [...] Continue reading →

With Vince Wilfork off the market (barring a team offering him truckloads of cash while giving up two first round picks), one final nose tackle worth looking at is Green Bay's Ryan Pickett. Pickett is the biggest nose tackle in the market at 6-2, 340 pounds. He is coming off his first year in a 3-4 defense with the Packers. Dom Capers engineered the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 in Green Bay with solid results. Green Bay finished at number two in total defense, and first against the run. Green Bay did struggle against high-powered passing offenses like Pittsburgh and Arizona, but the run defense was solid for most of the year, surrendering just 83.3 YPG. Pickett was a big reason for the success [...] Continue reading →

Finding a solid nose tackle is priority number one for the Washington Redskins if they are to make the transition to the 3-4 defense. Vince Wilfork is of course the best option in the free agent market, but there are several other top nose tackles available this year. Second on the list is the Pittsburgh Steelers' Casey Hampton. Hampton is aging as he is preparing to enter his ninth season, but he possesses the size (6-1, 325) and experience to play nose tackle. In Pittsburgh, Hampton played primarily in the 3-4 under defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau used a plethora of packages that mixed up the number of down linemen at the point of attack. So Hampton is used to playing in a number of different situations and formations. Just to give you an idea of what the Steelers [...] Continue reading →

With the Redskins looking at a possible switch to the 3-4 defense, and also attempting to rebuild a depleted offensive line, the free agent market will again be heavily scrutinized by the front office in DC. The top priorities on the list include a big nose tackle should the team indeed make a switch to the 3-4. Secondly, the team will need another MLB and possibly an OLB who can cover. That doesn't even include the secondary. The team will need to address depth at corner and also try to find a free safety to complement their 22 (OK actually three) strong safeties. CBS gives a good look at the top free agents getting ready to hit the market in a [...] Continue reading →

Clinton Portis and LaVar Arrington each have big egos. And they clearly don't like each other. Arrington has a big microphone in front of him at 106.7 The Fan. He has teamed up with Chad Dukes to give us our daily dose of Redskins news every afternoon. Arrington is a still a popular figure in DC and he has a big audience across the Metro area. He rips the Redskins right and left, but seriously, who doesn't these days. Even the Snyder-owned ESPN 980 does that. Anyway, Portis also has a big audience. He's a star for the Washington [...] Continue reading →

Keenan McCardell was hired last night to be the Redskins new WRs coach. He beat out former teammate Ike Hilliard for the job. McCardell is a former NFL wideout who played for the Buccaneers, Jaguars and Redskins. Last year he was a coaching intern for the New York Giants and helped with their receivers. He is a hard worker and knows the position inside and out. McCardell's hiring is a good one for a receiving corps who desperately needs consistency. Devin Thomas has shown flashes and Santana Moss still occasionally displays his talent, but overall, the receivers have been underwhelming. McCardell should be the last person hired for the Redskins' staff unless [...] Continue reading →

As Garret Hartley's game-winning in overtime kick split the uprights, everyone in New Orleans went berserk. Over in Washington DC, so did a certain middle linebacker. As the Saints dramatically advanced to the Super Bowl over the Vikings yesterday, it ensured that New Orleans' Pro Bowl LB Jonathan Vilma will not be playing in the Pro Bowl, leaving his spot open for the Redskins' very own London Fletcher. Say what you will about the farce that is the Pro Bowl this year, but Fletcher couldn't care less. After waiting for 12 years to make his first Pro Bowl, the venerable middle linebacker is on the NFC roster. "I'm thinking, 'Man, here I am in my 12th year. Is it ever going to happen for me?' When it finally became a reality, yeah, it was a big relief," he said. Fletcher's [...] Continue reading →

This is your "no duh" news of the week. Just because of the day and a half worth of a delay, I thought maybe Shanny was having second thoughts. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Mike Shanahan is the Redskins new head coach. Personally, I like the hire. Shanahan knows football and has succeeded with different types of teams. I know he only has one play-off win since Elway, but the guy kept the Broncos in perennial play-off contention after Elway retired. He also worked with Jake Plummer to get Denver to the AFC Championship in 2005 and [...] Continue reading →

The Washington Redskins haven't experienced much success this past decade, and last Monday night was an ode to the pain and suffering this once-proud franchise has  undergone With the Redskins losing 45-12 to the rival New York Giants in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter in a meaningless game, one could look out into the stadium bowl and see a sea of blue. Redskin fans were long gone; Giants fans had made FedEx Field their home. The Redskins turned in a dismal performance in front of a national TV audience not only showing themselves to be incompetent, but downright stupid. The Giants beat them in every facet of the game, and then the 'Skins shoveled the dirt on top of their own coffin with an idiotic fake field goal attempt. It was an ugly game. But then Washington made [...] Continue reading →

Yesterday's Redskins-Cowboys game was the first game in 2009 since week one that I have been excited for. And for three and a half periods, it appeared that my excitement may have been validated. Then Shaun Suisham happened. Suisham came into the game perfect on all 12 of his field goal attempts. He left the game having missed two; a big reason as to why the 'Skins found themselves on the losing end of a 7-6 score to the Cowboys. Now don't get me wrong the offense wasn't exactly piling on the points, but they controlled the ball in the second half with the scrubs in the game. Think about it: in a defensive battle, the Redskin offense had four scoring opportunities to the Cowboys' two. The 'Skins [...] Continue reading →