Scene and Heard

August 8, 2019

By Jay Evans

Football is back! Well almost. What is for sure is the Redskins will wear official uniforms and will be hitting players from a different team tonight. The judgmental media can become pervious to the faults of the players after having seen them through the droll of two weeks of camp and battling the same competition everyday.

The opportunity to see the Redskins against a new opponent will be the first chance to gauge whether our eyes have been able to see a pristine reflection in the mirror or whether it’s been from an odd angle in a circus fun house. Here are some of my takeaways from my visit to Richmond this week.

Coaches

– Jay Gruden looks to be in his best physical shape since his arrival in D.C. This superficial analysis may mean nothing to some and  seem insensitive to others, but the stress of the position has worked many coaches into disheveled vagabonds. It is a positive sign for his mental health for the upcoming campaign.

– Jay was vibrant on the field and at the podium. His sardonic humor is unflinching. He was active in sessions, and confidence starts from the top. Jay seems confident even with so much uncertainty circling this team.

– The coaches are talkers, especially on defense. Ray Horton and Rob Ryan lead the way.

– Jim Tomsula struts like he tucks it in his sock. He has the best group on the field and owns it.

Quarterbacks

– If the Redskins could Frankenstein together a quarterback out of the current parts on the roster, then they would have a good quarterback.

– Colt McCoy is the most accurate passer of the group and it’s not close. His ability to place the ball in precise spots is noticeable in receiver drills.

– Case Keenum is a cheesy leader in the mold of Kirk Cousins. After a pass was completed to J.P. Holtz on the sideline the horn blew signaling the transition to a new drill. As Case jogged up the field he yelled, “I SEE YOU J.P.! Even IF the crowd didn’t applaud.” The fans laughed and responded accordingly with an enthusiastic cheer.

– Case will opt for the check down option. In 7-on-7’s, Case repeatedly hit the under routes very much like Kirk.

– Instead of forcing the ball downfield Case chose to tuck the ball in 7-on-7’s, and on a fourth and ten play he found Marshall for a seven yard gain. Both were unsuccessful and scared plays, especially considering Matt Flanagan had leaked out wide open on a wheel route, but Case’s eyes never looked to that side of the field.

– Case Keenum wears number 8 and might be Kirk Cousins.

– I stood five feet away from Colt McCoy after he walked off the field on Monday, but before it was announced that he had been pulled for precautionary reasons. He seemed fine as he was walking and talking with a team employee.

– I fully expected Colt would soon be named the starter for the first preseason game.

– Colt lost his chance at the starting job at that moment.

– Dwayne Haskins is physically gifted. He is not freakish, but he is tall, big, and has a very good arm.

– Haskins is soft spoken at the line. On Monday, the crowd was quiet and the music was off, but I could barely hear him and that isn’t the case with Case or Colt.

– Gruden will call keepers and Run-Pass-Options (RPOs) specifically designed for Haskins to run. Haskins is a better runner than the pre-draft commentary suggested.

– Samaje Perine looks trim and quick. He appears to be in the 220 pound range rather than tilting the scale closer to the 240 pound mark he was at coming out of college. He was active in all facets (running and catching), but it is easy to look good, and even harder to fumble, when no one is hitting you. Live action will be interesting.

– Adrian Peterson didn’t play. Good.

– Derrius Guice was protected. Better.

– The only players who ran the ball with any threat of contact were Perine, Byron Marshall, Craig Reynolds, and Shaun Wilson. Excellent.

– Shaun Wilson is small. He is shifty in his cuts and looks natural with the ball in his hands. He is dangerous in space and will make a few splash plays in the preseason.  If he gets an opportunity, Wilson could shine as a kick returner because of his quick decision making and explosive second gear in the open. Did I mention he is really small?

– Barring injury, Terry McLaurin is going to be an NFL receiver for 10+ years. His routes are defined well beyond what can be expected from most rookies, and his physical talent gives him an advantage on the rest of the crop of receivers.

– Jordan Reed is healthy. That is crucial.

– Trey Quinn will live between the hashes.

– The Redskins are going to feature a ton of mesh concepts because of the abilities of the quarterbacks and the individual strengths of McLaurin, Reed, and Quinn.

– The third tight end on the roster is not a lock.

– J.P. Holtz is good at picking the ball out of the air and has the best hands. Jeremy Sprinkle is the best athlete. Matt Flanagan is the best blocker who makes jokes at the expense of his own catching ability. Flanagan dropped a wide open ball directly in front of me and to deflect the embarrassment of the crowd jokes, “ Nice hands, right?”

– Geron Christian needs to gain strength. Christian is narrow in his lower half and his punch doesn’t have the same effect as Morgan Moses. He is a year away. He may always be a year away.

– Ross Pierschbacher is less than a year away. He also needs to get stronger, but already possess a nastiness in his hand fighting that translates well to the interior offensive line.

– Wes Martin is a better athlete than his pre-draft analysis credited him for. His feet are quicker than I expected and his stocky, thick build is tailored to the guard position. He anchored well in battles against some of the veterans and was beat by others. His rookie learning curve is not steep and he will play early and often.

Defense

– The Redskins have invested early draft capitol into the defense, but their defense is a strength because the later round picks have been better than expected.

– Jonathan Allen’s quads are bigger than Shaun Wilson.

– Matt Ioannidis and Chris Thompson in a jacuzzi is a funny sight.

– The middle of the defense is smaller and faster than in years past and they are going to rotate the linebackers frequently.

– Daron Payne is fit. New physique, new number.

– Tim Settle is fit. New physique, same number.

– Settle had a bad habit of losing his feet in college. He was better than expected last season when he played, but still wound up on the ground too often. I don’t see that being the case this year. He was low in his drive at the point of attack and drove forcefully into the blockers with adequate hand fight. In the defensive line rotation, Settle is going to push the pocket from the zero and one-tech positions when given the opportunity to go straight forward.

– Josh Harvey-Clemons is significantly bigger than last year and he displayed adequate fluidity in his coverage movements, which made me feel better about his offseason weight gain.  He is reportedly up to 250 pounds, nearly 40 pounds heavier than when he entered the league, but the concern about a skinny lower half remains. Harvey Clemons has a solid role as dime, nickel, and penny linebacker.

– Josh Norman is the best position corner on the team. He plays with amazing leverage on receivers. Of all the cornerbacks, he is the single corner that dictates the wide receiver’s position and not the other way around.

– Fabian Moreau is the second best and there is a big drop off after the top two.

– Fabian is sticky in coverage and the size or speed of his matchup doesn’t matter. In separate individual matchup drills, I watched Moreau go up to the high point of a pass with 6’5” Cam Sims, and then on another rep was glued to the hip of speedy Steven Sims, Jr. He wasn’t a slot corner when he came into the league, but is the best coverage corner on the team.

– Quinton Dunbar is not healthy. He had a clear limp on Monday while walking out to the practice field. He didn’t do full team work, but did some in one-on-one’s. In one series he was beaten unconscious by Jehu Chesson on a double move in which found himself awake and all alone in the corner of the endzone.

– Jimmy Moreland’s aggressiveness is always present. It is a tactic that works in the one-on-one drills, but also drew two unnecessary pass interference flags. Fans should temper their expectations for this season.

– Montae Nicholson is healthy and was constantly attacking in coverage. More than once, he grew a little frustrated with the running backs working through sure tackles in light contact work and initiated militant contact. His aggressiveness included a clothesline move on Keith Marshall, which drew an audible response from the spectators.

– Deshazor Everett is Reed Doughty, and that is a compliment. He is everywhere on the field and can play both safety positions with confidence. Is he the best athlete at his position? No, but he is where he should be on every play and was regularly heard calling out coverage roles.

– Troy Apke could be a superstar on special teams. On defense, pray he doesn’t find himself at the line of scrimmage in one-on-one coverage. He is stiff in his hips and his football I.Q. is well below average. Apke is likely to fall for the first fake. For example, on one route T.J. Rahming bested him in a stutter step move to the outside, at which point Apke was ten yards in the opposite direction, which led to an easy touchdown.

– Tress Way is an All Pro. He was robbed last year after punting 41 balls inside the 20 yard line (most in the league) and zero touchbacks. I recorded a full team play where he placed the ball on a short hop to the one yard line.

What did I learn in my time spent at camp? The true star is Richmond. The commute is quick from D.C. The food scene is as vibrant as the wall murals that litter the city. The craft beer and cocktails are the whipped cream and cherries of a decadent sundae that is the Redskins.

As far as the quick takes on the Redskins, the true diagnosis of the team begins tonight. The Cliffnotes version of my trip is this: either the defense is quite good or the offense is seriously bad. Both look to be true.